• Research
  • Politika
  • About
Carnegie Russia Eurasia center logoCarnegie lettermark logo
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "Rachel Kleinfeld"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [
    "U.S. Democracy in Comparative Perspective"
  ],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "democracy",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "DCG",
  "programs": [
    "Democracy, Conflict, and Governance"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "North America",
    "United States"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform",
    "Democracy"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

In The Media

Populism, Violence, and the “De-civilizing” Process

If Americans want to avoid revolution, mitigate violence, and keep a law-based world, they need a progressive movement to open up democracy to average citizens, and bridge the cultural gap between elites and broader American society.

Link Copied
By Rachel Kleinfeld
Published on Dec 19, 2016

Source: Eurasia Group Foundation

Speaking to the Eurasia Group Foundation, Carnegie’s Rachel Kleinfeld argued that populism isn’t going to work in the United States. If Americans want to avoid revolution, mitigate violence, and keep a law-based world, they need a progressive movement to open up democracy to average citizens, and bridge the cultural gap between elites and broader American society, she asserted.

Watch the broadcast from the Eurasia Group Foundation.

About the Author

Rachel Kleinfeld

Senior Fellow, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program

Rachel Kleinfeld is a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program, where she focuses on issues of rule of law, security, and governance in democracies experiencing polarization, violence, and other governance problems.

    Recent Work

  • Commentary
    What the New Democratic Congress Can (and Can’t) Do on Foreign Policy
      • +10

      James M. Acton, Dan Baer, Mark Baldassare, …

  • Paper
    How to Engage with New Media: A Strategic Guide for Nonprofit Organizations

      Renée DiResta, Rachel Kleinfeld, Margot Treadwell

Rachel Kleinfeld
Senior Fellow, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program
Rachel Kleinfeld
Political ReformDemocracyNorth AmericaUnited States

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Vučić’s Downfall in Serbia Is Fatal to Russia’s Influence in the Balkans

    The new Serbian leadership may have promised to keep on cooperating with Russia, but soon they will have to make a choice between fighting corruption and sealing lucrative deals with Moscow. The two are mutually exclusive, even if the new leaders in Belgrade haven’t yet realized it.

      Maksim Samorukov

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    How Did Serbia Remove Vučić Without a Single Smashed Window?

    Serbia’s electoral earthquake is an extremely rare example of an entire political system being defeated by street protesters who played by the rules.

      Alexander Baunov

  • Paper
    The Foundations of a Russian Dictatorship: The Kremlin’s New Ideology

    The concept authored by Sergei Kiriyenko and his team can be considered not only an apologia for the Putin regime, but also a blueprint for Russia’s future configuration.

      Andrey Pertsev

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Putin’s Post-Election Reshuffle Advances Russian State Erosion

    The pressures of war are gradually warping Russia’s system of governance, making it more vulnerable to a future crisis.

      Tatiana Stanovaya

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    How the Latest Election Changed the Role of Russia’s Parliament

    Putin’s conservative staffing policies and search for ever greater control have cemented parliament’s transformation into a bureaucratic appendage of the executive branch.

      Andrey Pertsev

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center Newsletter
Carnegie Russia Eurasia logo, white
  • Research
  • Politika
  • About
  • Experts
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • For Media
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center Newsletter
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.