The 1996 Election and Populism: Some Readings

Abstract

This article examines the broader intellectual context of the 1996 U.S. elections through key theoretical perspectives on post-Cold War global politics. It engages with Francis Fukuyama’s The End of History and the Last Man, which proposes the global triumph of liberal democracy, while highlighting the tensions posed by inequality and political instability. It also considers Hans Magnus Enzensberger’s concept of “molecular civil wars” and Benjamin Barber’s distinction between “Jihad” and “McWorld.” The article argues that these frameworks help explain the emergence of populism and instability within globalized systems. It demonstrates how processes of global integration and fragmentation influence domestic political developments.

(The abstract and keywords were prepared retrospectively for indexing purposes using AI-assisted tools and editorial review, based on the original article. They did not appear in the original publication.)