Perils of presidentialism

Pick one or more of the political leaders from the list below (if you are unfamiliar with them, you may want to read the Wikipedia page about them and skim a couple of news articles to familiarize yourself before you make your choice. Read the sources about this person that are available bellow. You are welcome to do additional reading if you choose, but it is not required.

Then answer ONE of the following questions:

1. Would you describe this leader as a populist, and why? In what ways is this leader consistent with some of our course readings and discussions about populism? In what ways do they challenge or depart from these sources?

2. Would you say that this leader—their behavior in office, their path to office, their personality—exemplifies some of the distinctive qualities of a presidential or parliamentary system? Do you see their presidency as consistent with the “perils of presidentialism”—and if so, why? If they are a prime minister, do you think that the parliamentary system successfully protects against the “perils of presidentialism” in this case? Why or why not?

Please focus on one of the following leaders. The sources you should draw on are listed below each leader’s name, and your paper must discuss these sources, along with at least one of the course readings.

1. Jair Bolsonaro

• Jon Lee Anderson, “Jair Bolsonaro’s Southern Strategy,” New Yorker, April 1, 2019. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/04/01/jair-bolsonaros -southern-strategy
• Jon Lee Anderson, “The Coronavirus Hits Brazil Hard, but Jair Bolsonaro is Unrepentant,” New Yorker May 22, 2020. https://www.newyorker.com/ news/daily-comment/the-coronavirus-hits-brazil-hard-but-jair-bolsonaro -is-unrepentant 1
• Wendy Hunter and Timothy Power. 2019. “Bolsonaro and Brazil’s Illiberal Backlash” Journal of Democracy 30(1): 68–82.

2. Benjamin Netanyahu

• Ruth Margalit. “The Precarious Position of Benjamin Netanyahu.” New Yorker, October 8, 2019. https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from -jerusalem/the-precarious-position-of-benjamin-netanyahu
• Matti Friedman, “Aliens are Protesting in Israel. They Still Can’t Beat Bibi.” New York Times, August 13, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/13/ opinion/israel-protests.html
• “Can Netanyahu and Gantz work together?” Inside Story (Al Jazeera English), May 17, 2020, 25 minutes long. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= 7pWpPv1DVug

3. Viktor Orban

• Elisabeth Zerofsky. “Viktor Orban’s Far-Right Vision for Europe,” New Yorker, January 7, 2019. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/01/14/viktor -orbans-far-right-vision-for-europe
• Viktor Orban, “Speech at the 29th Balvanyos Summer Open University and Student Camp,” July 29, 2018. https://www.kormany.hu/en/the-prime-minister/ the-prime-minister-s-speeches/prime-minister-viktor-orban-s-speech -at-the-29th-balvanyos-summer-open-university-and-student-camp
• Zack Beauchamp, “The American right’s favorite strongman,” Vox, August 10, 2010.https://www.vox.com/2020/5/21/21256324/viktor-orban-hungary-american -conservatives • Benjamin Novak, “Hungary Moves to End Rule by Decree, but Orban’s Powers May Stay.” New York Times, June 16, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/ 2020/06/16/world/europe/hungary-coronavirus-orban.html

Your paper should be 3-5 pages in length (12-point standard font, 1” margins, double spaced). The goal of this paper is to demonstrate your ability to apply the concepts we have discussed in class to a new example; you will be primarily graded on the strength of your analysis. This is NOT a research paper. While you may include additional sources if you wish, doing so is not required, and will not necessarily improve your grade.

Your paper should be 3-5 pages in length (12-point standard font, 1” margins, double spaced). The goal of this paper is to demonstrate your ability to apply the concepts we have discussed in class to a new example; you will be primarily graded on the strength of your analysis. This is NOT a research paper. While you may include additional sources if you wish, doing so is not required, and will not necessarily improve your grade.

The paper will be graded out of 20 points (since the assignment is worth 20 percent of your course grade), broken down as follows:

• Thesis: 6 points. Does the paper articulate a clear, complex, and argumentative thesis? Does this thesis go beyond merely summarizing points from the readings and make an original claim? Does the thesis bring material from multiple sources into conversation in an interesting way?

• Argumentation: 6 points. Do all parts of the paper relate to (and provide support for) the thesis? Does the author consider possible objections or counterarguments and defend their thesis against these claims? Does the argument build on itself over the course of the paper, or does the author repeat the same point(s) over and over?

• Use of evidence: 6 points. Does the paper support its key claims with evidence from the course readings and news sources? Is evidence accurately described? Does evidence only appear in support of the author’s arguments (as it should), or do summaries of the readings dominate the paper at the expense of the author’s own argument?

• Organization and Mechanics: 2 points. Is the paper clearly written, well organized, and free of major typos and errors? Does the paper include an informative title and in-text citations?