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Over the course of the past decade, a populist wave has been crashing all over the globe, fueled by inflation, inequality, the cross currents of globalization and technological change, and widespread frustration with elites. A new crop of political leaders – charismatic, bombastic, social media savvy – has capitalized on these grievances, framing elections as increasingly between the common man and the morally bankrupt elites running corrupt institutions that are robbing citizens of opportunity.
These new leaders have reshaped the political landscape in many countries. Here’s a quick sampling of rising populist politics around the world:
Italy: Giorgia Meloni [ [link removed] ] has served as Italy’s prime minister since 2022. Her campaign focused on national sovereignty, cultural identity, and working-class interests, resonating with voters frustrated by globalization and immigration.
Sweden: The Sweden Democrats [ [link removed] ], a right-wing populist party, emerged as the second-most popular party in the country’s 2022 elections and has reshaped Sweden’s political dialogue. Their platform centers on anti-immigration policies and skepticism toward the European Union.
France: Marine Le Pen’s National Rally has steadily gained support and influence over years with its increasing focus on national identity, anti-immigration, and Euroscepticism; a recent poll [ [link removed] ] shows its candidate winning the next presidential election.
Germany: Alternative for Germany [ [link removed] ] (AfD) has become a major force, especially in the east, as immigration has undermined the standing of the country’s traditional parties.
Indonesia: Prabowo Subianto [ [link removed] ] won the presidency in 2024, riding a wave of economic discontent and political disillusionment. The former military leader and successful businessman offered to bring discipline to a unruly elite.
Pakistan: Imran Khan capitalized on discontent with the country’s traditional hereditary political parties and marshalled the support of Pakistani youth to become prime minister in 2018 [ [link removed] ], only to be deposed in a no-confidence vote that was widely-seen as being engineered by the country’s military.
And of course, we can’t forget about the political earthquake in America that began with the 2016 election of Donald Trump and the upheaval that followed in its wake. Many of the same themes and issues mentioned above are echoed in America First policies and motivate the MAGA coalition.
It now looks like this populist wave is crashing down on the southern part of our hemisphere as well, as shown by recent election outcomes:
Argentenia: Javier Milei [ [link removed] ], the leader of La Libertad Avanza, won the Argentinian presidency in 2023 with a strong anti-corruption and populist libertarian economic message.
Bolivia: This past October, Rodrigo Paz [ [link removed] ] ended 20 years of socialist rule when he won the presidential election. Economic discontent was at the forefront of voters’ minds when they went to the polls.
Chile: Just days ago, Jose Antonio Kast [ [link removed] ] was elected president of Chile, handily defeating his leftist opponent. Kast has called for deporting all illegal immigrants, building a border wall, and sending the military into high-crime areas. (Any of this sound familiar?)
Brazil: And don’t forget about Jair Bolsonaro [ [link removed] ], who foreshadowed this trend when he was elected president in 2018, campaigning on corruption and crime.
And looking forward, Colombia will head to the polls in 2026. [ [link removed] ] The country’s current socialist president is unable to run, leading to what is expected to be a very contentious election. Will Colombia return to its historical right-leaning politics as voters are increasingly concerned with security and the economy?
But what I find most interesting about this South American right turn is that it is coinciding with America’s increasing focus on the region [ [link removed] ]. In what is quickly becoming a 21st century version of the Monroe Doctrine, Trump is in the process of realigning U.S. interests, eschewing far-flung involvements and instead policing our neighborhood and keeping the Chinese and Russians out.
While it is natural to assume that ideological birds of a feather would have an affinity for each other, I’d suggest that there is another possible scenario. How will these ...

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