Introduction: Populism, Political Communication and Performative Leadership in International Politics

Abstract

Who speaks for 'the people'? Populists across the globe have mobilised this question to attack liberal institutions, political opponents, and the democratic process itself, communicating a political reality in which globalist elites have allegedly betrayed the sovereign will of the popular community. The recent 'surge' (Mudde, 2016) or 'wave' (Aslanidis, 2016) of populism around the world has encompassed electorally successful rightwing populist leaders in the Northern Hemisphere such as Donald Trump,