Please come to this lecture on “Populism and Foreign Policy” by Prof. Sandra Destradi (University of Freiburg and Reichman University) on 29 November 2024, 2:30-4:00 PM at Pilar Herrera Hall, Palma Hall, University of the Philippines Diliman.

Abstract

Populists have come to power and formed governments all over the world, from India to Turkey, from Hungary to Nicaragua. In the US, the re-election of Donald Trump will bring back a populist president in a few weeks. Besides the domestic consequences of populism, it is important to address its international effects, whose study started developing only in recent years. This lecture will outline a theory of how populism impacts foreign policy, and more specifically under what conditions it leads to foreign policy change. In a nutshell, the formation of populist governments can be expected to lead to the strongest changes in foreign policy in issue areas in which personalization of decision making and the potential for mobilization are particularly strong. By contrast, we can expect less marked changes if personalization and mobilization are less prevalent. The theory is applied to the cases of Bolivia, India, the Philippines, and Turkey as well as to some European cases. Moreover, some expectations will be developed about the foreign policy of a second Trump administration.

About the Speaker

Sandra Destradi is a Professor of International Relations at the University of Freiburg. She currently serves as a DAAD long-term guest professor at Reichman University. Together with Johannes Plagemann, she leads the project “Populism and Foreign Policy”, funded by the German Research Foundation. Moreover, she leads the Marie Curie Doctoral Network “International Dimensions and Effects of Populism (IDEoPOP)”.

Mr. Matteo Piasentini will moderate the event. This lecture is free and open to all, but registration is required. Please sign up here: https://tinyurl.com/destradi-lecture-diliman