Authoritarian leaders thrive on fear. We need to help people feel safe | Michele Gelfand

Across the world, voters are falling prey to leaders who appeal to their worst instincts. Why?With every new year, I typically set aside some time to write down what I ’m grateful for. Health, family, friends, books, jazz, my dog, among other things. This year I added something I’ve been taking for granted. It’s democracy.Like many of us, I have worried about the rising tide of rightwing populism, nationalism and polarisation across the world. Within just a few years, we ’ve witnessed the election of Donald Trump in the US, theBrexit decision in the UK, the rise ofMatteo Salvini in Italy,Victor Orb án in Hungary, theFreedom party in Austria and theLaw and Justice party in Poland. The world ’s largest democracy, India, is menaced by a newly virulentnationalism and xenophobia.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Politics The far right World news Donald Trump Psychology Source Type: news