Sovereign borders are becoming increasingly porous due to the rising tides of migration and globalisation. This is contributing to renewed waves of populism across liberal democracies.

The borders of liberal democracies are narrowing down. This is stimulated largely by people in the margins of society becoming politically assertive, frustrated by the failure of the political class to deliver to their expectations. Some of their key concerns include the lack of income redistribution, increasing differentiation among societies, the fear of technological or economic change and the impact of migration to employment opportunities.

Such a situation presents significant challenges for governments to cope with the effects of how best to balance and adapt their policy-making to these issues, while also ensuring the needs of their domestic populations are met. Meanwhile, changes in communication technology allow individual leaders to be independently capable of mobilising mass support and polarising the population.

The AIIA for WA’s Flavia Bellieni Zimmerman interviewed Emeritus Professor İlter Turan, immediate past President of the International Political Science Association, at the IPSA World Congress 2018 in Brisbane.

IPSA President İlter Turan is Emeritus Professor of Political Science at Istanbul Bilgi University. His research and writing cover the fields of comparative politics as well as Turkish politics and foreign policy, dealing with such diverse topics as political development, democratisation, legislative behaviour, political parties, political culture, the politics of water and aspects of foreign policy.

Interview by Flavia Bellieni Zimmermann.

Video by Gavin Mount.

Editing by Tommy Chai.