The Loop

🔮 Why the 'nihilist penguin' has become a new symbol for the alt-right At the start of 2026, a meme dubbed the 'nihilist penguin' went viral. But populist media pages and extreme-right accounts soon began using edits of the meme to spread nationalist and exclusionary con...

🔮 #FutureOfPopulism No.103
🐧 After the #NihilistPenguin went viral, extreme-right accounts started using the meme to spread nationalist content.
📱Federico Taddei argues when the alt-right exploits them, even apolitical social media trends can carry serious political implications.
👉️ bit.ly/4s3oadS

🌈 Abortion law reform in Germany amid democratic backsliding Germany recently passed incremental liberalisations to its abortion law. Yet access to abortion remains under threat, and far-right and conservative forces blocked its partial legalisation. Lisa Brüni...

🌈 #GenderingDemocracy No.37
⚖️ Germany recently passed incremental liberalisations to its abortion law. Yet access to abortion remains under threat, with far-right forces blocking it. Lisa Brünig explains how these processes are symptomatic of broader #DemocraticBacksliding. #IWD2026
👉️ bit.ly/4ssPYba

Participants attending various ECPR events. The text reads: International Women’s Day #IWD2026. ECPR logo in the top right.

💐 Today's the day! Celebrate #InternationalWomensDay with our journals and blog

🎀 Enjoy a round-up of curated #OpenAccess research exploring issues of gender and the representation of women in politics

📚 Drawn from the full span of our publications portfolio linktr.ee/ecpr.collect...

#IWD2026

All month long, at the @ecprtheloop.bsky.social series on #GenderingDemocracy🌈, we’re marking 8 March – International Women’s Day with a series of special pieces on feminism, gender, and democracy.

Stay tuned throughout March!

#IWD2026

🌈 A radical feminist kinship for democratic futures A radical feminist politics of kinship asks us to interrogate the roots of how we live together: how we form families, share resources, and imagine belonging. At stake, says Víctor Hugo Ramírez García...

🌈#GenderingDemocracy No.37
👩‍👩‍👦 A #RadicalFeminist politics of kinship asks us to interrogate the roots of how we live together: how we form families + share resources. At stake, says @victorhugoramirez.bsky.social isn't just #GenderEquality but the future of democracy itself. #IWD2026
👉 bit.ly/3N5ia55

🌈 Digital activism: reshaping the fight against gender-based violence For decades, activists have worked to end gender-based violence through grassroots organising, legal challenges, and public education. But Eiman Alabdulghani’s research suggests that the digital world...

🌈 #GenderingDemocracy No. 36
🪧 For decades, activists have worked to end gender-based violence through grassroots organising, legal challenges + public education.
📱But research by Eiman Alabdulghani shows that the digital world represents a powerful new frontier.
#IWD2026
👉 bit.ly/4riwwwZ

☢️ US accusations of Chinese nuclear testing reshape arms control The US has accused China of carrying out a 'yield-producing' nuclear test in 2020 – but the global test-ban monitor found no supporting evidence. Syeda Saba Batool argues that the dispute matters anyw...

☢️ #NuclearPoliticsParadox No.34
📊 The US has accused #China of carrying out a 'yield-producing' #NuclearTest in 2020 – but the global test-ban monitor found no supporting evidence. 🗣️ Syeda Saba Batool argues that US can still use such allegations to pressure China into talks.
👉 bit.ly/4sfVqhI

Old terrorism, new extremes, and Maslow’s Hammer In recent years, many nations have reprioritised efforts to address extremism and violence emerging from social, political, and religious views and beliefs. Yet, says Valarie Findlay, despite decades ...

🌍 In recent years, many nations have reprioritised efforts to address #Extremism & violence emerging from social, political & religious beliefs.
💭 So why do governments & institutions still struggle with the definitions & criteria for preventing extremism? asks Valarie Findlay.
👉 bit.ly/4cZws1A

Agreed. Haven't commented on this much, but very concerning to see positive engagement from EU with BJP, who are actively trying to destroy the world's largest democracy. They're like the AfD but much, much worse

My new piece for @ecpr.bsky.social The Loop is out, a summary of research published in @govandopp.bsky.social on gender equality in the Western Balkan EU candidates. When public opinion and Brussels agree, parties signal commitment. When they don‘t, silence follows, especially on #lgbtq rights.

Why gender equality is stalling in the Western Balkans Gender equality is a fundamental EU value and a condition for the accession of new members. Yet political parties in Western Balkan candidate countries rarely prioritise it. Klaudia Koxha explains why...

♀️♂️ #GenderEquality is a fundamental #EU value, and a condition for the accession of new members. Yet political parties in #WesternBalkans candidate countries rarely prioritise it. 📑 Using @govandopp.bsky.social research, @klaudiakoxha.bsky.social explains why.
#IWD2026
👉 bit.ly/40Bzodo

🦋 Data, power, and the future of democratic theory The Science of Democracy 2.0 challenges current uses of the term 'democracy'. Yida Zhai argues that these uses are not universal but culturally specific. This, he says, makes them inadequate for descr...

🦋 #ScienceOfDemocracy No.130
🤺 The Science of Democracy 2.0 challenges current uses of the term 'democracy'.
🌍 Yida Zhai argues that these uses are not universal but culturally specific, making them inadequate for describing the political realities of the human species as a whole.
👉 bit.ly/4l2IvNC

European far-right parties including AfD and National Rally are part of RSS-BJP's transnational networks. In Feb 2025, before Ursula von der leyen's India visit,Thierry Mariani-led Patriots for Europe delegation was invited by RSS affiliate India Foundation, where RSS &PFE ideologues criticised EU.

🏈Our piece with Agnese Pacciardi about #BadBunny half-time #SuperBowl show is out on @ecprtheloop.bsky.social 🎶🪘

Another excellent post for the illiberalism series! 🌊

Get in contact with me or The Loop if you want to contribute 📢

Why Russia now relies on war with Ukraine Since 2014, Russian society has become increasingly reliant on militaristic forms of self-expression. Eban Raymond argues that Russian national identity is beset by a lack of security and depends on d...

🪖 Since 2014, Russian society has become increasingly reliant on militaristic forms of self-expression.
🗣️ Eban Raymond argues that Russian national identity is beset by a lack of security, and depends on defining itself in opposition to #Ukraine.
👉 bit.ly/40EJJVU

Bad Bunny: anticolonial icon or capitalism’s hottest commodity? Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance was a celebration of Latin American culture and a rebuke of US imperial power. Yet, argue Agnese Pacciardi and Priscyll Anctil Avoine, the excitement it spa...

🎶🏈 #BadBunny’s #SuperBowl halftime show was a celebration of Latin American culture + a rebuke of US imperial power.
💰️ Yet, argue Agnese Pacciardi & @priscyll.bsky.social, the excitement it sparked risks obscuring the corporate structures that made the show possible + profitable.
👉 bit.ly/4cNOu6P

EU complicity in the slow death of Indian democracy The EU’s expanding engagement with India, notably the proposed 'mother of all deals' free trade agreement, signals a strategic partnership. Yet without clear human-rights benchmarks, this cooperation ...

🌍️ The #EU’s expanding engagement with #India, notably the proposed 'mother of all deals' #FreeTradeAgreement, signals a strategic partnership.
📊 Yet without clear human-rights benchmarks, this cooperation risks legitimising India’s democratic backsliding, argues Amit Singh.
👉 bit.ly/40wW3r8

Digital resilience in the age of synthetic media New technologies demand a shift toward a broader framework of digital resilience. Misinformation threatens to deepen inequality and fragment access to common knowledge. James Rice argues that digital ...

🤖 New technologies demand a shift toward a broader framework of #DigitalResilience. 💻️ #Misinformation threatens to fragment access to common knowledge.
💭 James Rice argues that resilience depends upon strategic interventions spanning digital infrastructure + citizen psychology.
👉 bit.ly/46pU0IZ

⬇️ Based on @prxjournal.bsky.social research from a forthcoming special collection.

🔮 Can local independents block the rise of populism in ‘left-behind’ communities? Independent local lists are often seen as a sign of democratic community organisation. More than that, write Fred Paxton and Eliška Drápalová, their rise may actually limit the success of populist par...

🔮 #FutureOfPopulism No.102 
📃 Independent local lists are often seen as a sign of democratic community organisation.
📈 @fredpaxton.bsky.social & Eliška Drápalová argue that their rise may also limit the success of populist parties among voters disenchanted with mainstream politics.
👉 bit.ly/46w3G4O

🌊 How democratic erosion became administratively normal in Greece Vera Tika argues that contemporary illiberalism rarely arrives through dramatic democratic rupture. Instead, it advances quietly through routine governance and administrative practices that normalise ...

🌊 #IlliberalWave No.45
🧨 Contemporary #illiberalism rarely arrives through dramatic democratic rupture.
📉 Examining #Greece’s regulation of civil society, Vera Tika shows how democratic erosion can occur incrementally — through law, procedure, and bureaucratic control.
👉 bit.ly/4kTEL11

What political violence does to citizens Violence against politicians is a part of politics, but experimental studies find that its effect on citizens is muted. Rozemarijn van Dijk and Joep van Lit argue those null results are nevertheless m...

📊 Experimental studies find that violence against politicians barely affects citizens, but @rozemarijnvandijk.bsky.social & Joep van Lit argue those null results are still meaningful: they should push scholars to study how #PoliticalViolence can result in (de)mobilisation.
👉 bit.ly/4aBYj6A

Democratic backsliding in Sweden amid militarisation In 2023, amid accelerated militarisation, the Swedish government abruptly withdrew its financial support for domestic peace organisations. Felicia Linsér examines the impact on the peace movement of d...

☮️ In 2023, amid accelerated militarisation, the Swedish government abruptly withdrew its financial support for domestic peace organisations.
📉 Felicia Linsér examines the impact on the peace movement of #DemocraticBacksliding + a diminished relationship with political leadership.
👉 bit.ly/46nh9M8

🌈 ‘Familyism’ and the remaking of care politics in authoritarian populism In response to shifting gender hierarchies and demographic anxieties, authoritarian populists are pushing a 'family in crisis' narrative. Başak Akkan and Tuğçe Erçetin argue that ‘familyism’ ideology ...

🌈 #GenderingDemocracy No.35
👨‍👩‍👧 Authoritarian populists are pushing a 'family in crisis' narrative. @basakakkan.bsky.social & Tuğçe Erçetin argue that ‘familyism’ ideology underpins pronatalist care politics aimed at restoring the patriarchal sexual contract.
👉 bit.ly/46P8Xo4

Centrism as a structure for political action A distinct centrism which goes ‘beyond’ left and right remains elusive, argues Karl Pike. Centrists act as a managers of an ideological context shaped by existing ideologies of left and right, moderat...

↔️ A distinct #Centrism which goes ‘beyond’ left and right remains elusive, argues @karlpike.bsky.social.
💭 Centrists act as managers of an ideological context shaped by existing ideologies of left and right, moderate and extreme.
👉 bit.ly/4qREU6i

Just out! 💥 @ecprtheloop.bsky.social

Populists often criticise international organisations but still work through them.
Trump? More likely to walk out — and make the exit part of the show.

My new piece looks at multilateralism, populism, and politics as performance 👇

🔮 Trump and the unmaking of multilateralism Giada Pasquettaz argues that although Trump is indeed a populist, he is a distinct species within the category, and should be treated accordingly. Unlike other populist leaders, Trump does not seek to...

🔮 #FutureOfPopulism No.101
🔬 @giadapasquettaz.bsky.social argues that although Trump is indeed a populist, he is a distinct species within the category.
❎️ Unlike other populist leaders, Trump doesn't seek to reshape #Multilateralism from within. Instead, he rejects it altogether.
👉 bit.ly/4aVu1M2

Why Iran’s opposition is fracturing – and how to fix it Hossein Kermani argues that the Islamic Republic’s staying power relies as much on fracturing its opposition as it does on repression. Here, he explains how depolarising rhetoric, institutional transp...

⚡️ @hosseinkermani.bsky.social argues that the #IslamicRepublic’s staying power relies as much on fracturing its opposition as it does on repression.
🗣️ He explains how depolarising rhetoric + durable organisation will sustain pressure + protect activists during crackdowns in #Iran.
👉 bit.ly/4rwTuBA

​​​🌈 Hindu nationalists are targeting Muslim women via AI porn Followers of the ‘Hindutva’ Hindu nationalist movement are using AI-generated pornographic images to degrade Indian Muslim women – including public figures. Their tactics, argues Sonia Sarkar, serve t...

While an #AIsummit is on in India, I write @ecprtheloop.bsky.social how Hindutva actors --affiliated with the #RSS- the ideological parent body of the ruling BJP -- are using AI-generated porn to target #Muslimwomen, and degrade the entire community of 200 million. theloop.ecpr.eu/hindu-nation...