Venezuela

By falsely declaring victory in the US Election before all votes be counted, Donald Trump takes leaf out of autocrat playbook. Dr Natasha Lindstaedt explains that, indeed, prematurely declaring election victory is a hallmark of non-democratic regimes.

It’s fashionable these days for commentators to lament the lingering death of democracy. It’s being strangled long and slow, so the narrative goes. How?

Food and medical aid at Venezuela's borders could spark a revolution.

By delegitimising the Venezuelan President and hailing the opposition leader as rightful leader, Trump plunged the country into deeper crisis. The US and Latin American neighbours could have increased pressure on Maduro instead.

Ideological purity is easier to grasp, and dichotomous thinking is natural to our tribal instincts, but reality is complex, and a failure to acknowledge that dumps us into poor thinking.