On crowned anarchy: three hypotheses

Abstract

ABSTRACT This essay explores the conditions of possibility for the critique of the new illiberalism exemplified by leaders such as Donald Trump and Jacob Zuma. It proposes three hypotheses. The first is that corruption is more than just a failure of the Rule of Law, but is also its innermost possibility and end result. The second is that the new illiberalism presupposes the sublation of a certain tradition of critique (focused on the practices of unmasking and transparency). The third is that critique today needs the courage to face a “giddy world.”