Linda's Reviews > The Light that Failed: A Reckoning

The Light that Failed: A Reckoning
"What distinguishes national populists is that they never apologize for anything that their nation has done in its entire history. To behave like a villain while presenting oneself as a victim is the nationalistic populist singular conceit."

The Light that Failed examines the post- 1989 failure of liberal democracy in Eastern Europe, Russia, and the emergence of Trump in the United States. Ivan Krastev, a fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna, and Stephen Holmes, a professor at NYU School of Law, provide a thoughtful and original analysis of the rise of populism and reactionary nativism based upon the theory of imitation. Their overarching argument is that after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the push to imitate the western democracies of Europe and the US caused a considerable backlash.

While I initially intended to elaborate on the authors' ideas in some depth, I was just diagnosed with Covid and lack the energy. So instead, I am posting links to a detailed analysis of their ideas.

I also want to thank GR friend Meike for recommending the book.

https://www.law.nyu.edu/news/ideas/st...

https://neweasterneurope.eu/2020/07/0...