Doctor of Political Science, professor at the Faculty of International Journalism at MGIMO University Viktor Soghomonyan commented on “Populism in Contemporary Politics” for the Za Rubezhom Almanac project.
According to him, modern media have transformed the public perception of politics: spectacle and narrative have become more important than substance. A politician must be charismatic and have a compelling “story” that becomes larger than the politician himself.
“Populists use the ‘power of events’: they constantly create a sense of sweeping change, major deals or conflicts. Trump constructs his discourse precisely in this way—there is no process, only events. This aligns with current media trends and society’s short information memory.“The central myth of populism is ‘paradise lost.’ A politician promises to restore lost prosperity while identifying an enemy: the establishment, migrants, globalists or foreign powers.“Another characteristic of populists is the ‘wholeness of the hero.’ They present themselves in their entirety, without privacy, which corresponds to the expectations of an audience accustomed to screen-based entertainment. One example is Javier Milei in Latin America, who campaigned with a chainsaw and promised to ‘cut’ the state budget,” the professor emphasized.
Populism makes politics more spectacular but diminishes the quality of governance. There are no examples of countries where the triumph of populism has benefited the system of government, Viktor Soghomonyan concluded.
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According to him, modern media have transformed the public perception of politics: spectacle and narrative have become more important than substance. A politician must be charismatic and have a compelling “story” that becomes larger than the politician himself.
“Populists use the ‘power of events’: they constantly create a sense of sweeping change, major deals or conflicts. Trump constructs his discourse precisely in this way—there is no process, only events. This aligns with current media trends and society’s short information memory.“The central myth of populism is ‘paradise lost.’ A politician promises to restore lost prosperity while identifying an enemy: the establishment, migrants, globalists or foreign powers.“Another characteristic of populists is the ‘wholeness of the hero.’ They present themselves in their entirety, without privacy, which corresponds to the expectations of an audience accustomed to screen-based entertainment. One example is Javier Milei in Latin America, who campaigned with a chainsaw and promised to ‘cut’ the state budget,” the professor emphasized.
Populism makes politics more spectacular but diminishes the quality of governance. There are no examples of countries where the triumph of populism has benefited the system of government, Viktor Soghomonyan concluded.
Video