The Global Rise of Fascism with Ruth Ben-Ghiat

As we see coups across the world, and as we watch the leaders like Putin, Bolsonaro, and Meloni, we wonder why is this happening? How did we get here? How do we stop the rise of fascism? On today’s A Public Affair, we ask Ruth Ben-Ghiat to help us answer these questions.

Ruth Ben-Ghiat is a historian who writes about authoritarianism, democracy protection, and propaganda. She is Professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University, the recipient of Guggenheim, Fulbright, and other fellowships, and Advisor to Protect Democracy. She is an MSNBC opinion columnist, a regular contributor to CNN and The Washington Post, and provides live commentary on CNN, MSNBC, and other networks. She publishes Lucid, a newsletter on threats to democracy. Her latest book is Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present (W. W. Norton & Company, 2020).