History of the Present

4 days ago | timothygartonash.substack.com | Timothy Garton Ash

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4 days ago | timothygartonash.substack.com | Timothy Garton Ash

History of the Present (fortnight ending 20 April 2025)Even ifyou're not a Christian believer, Easter Sunday is a day for hope. And at long last there are first signs of a real fightback to defend the world's most powerful liberal democracy. This after three months in which Donald Trump has moved with a speed and brutality that make his Hungarian role model Viktor Orbán seem almost like a cautious constitutional lawyer.

2 weeks ago | timothygartonash.substack.com | Timothy Garton Ash

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2 weeks ago | timothygartonash.substack.com | Timothy Garton Ash

History of the Present (fortnight ending 6 April 2025)Should democracies ban populist front runners? Last week a French court banned hard right leader Marine le Pen, currently topping opinion polls for the 2027 presidential election, from standing for public office - with immediate effect. Before that, Romania’s top court annulled a whole election in which the hard right nationalist Călin Georgescu appeared to be in the lead.

1 month ago | timothygartonash.substack.com | Timothy Garton Ash

History of the Present (week ending 23 March 2025)Europe’s triple challenge requires a triple bazooka in response. If Europeans have finally not just heard the wake-up call but actually got out of bed – and that remains a big if – it will be because of the cumulative impact of three geopolitical shocks:The Putin shock.