America’s New Age of Political Violence: What Happens When the Threat Comes from Both the Left and the Right? Foreign Affairs
Robert A. Pape  |  October 9, 2025

In this lates contribution in Foreign Affairs, Robert Pape argues that the United States is in the grip of an era of violent populism, marked by a decade-long rise in threats and acts of political violence. Left to its own momentum, political violence is likely to escalate further, with major consequences for American liberal democracy: it drives fear in communities and among leaders who perceive themselves to be under threat and, in turn, a willingness to accept constraints on civil liberties or wield government power to suppress the danger. That only increases the likelihood that the legitimacy of future elections will be questioned. But the broad nature of the threat also suggests that if political leaders join forces to condemn political violence, they could push back the tide. Read the article at Foreign Affairs here. You can also download a PDF here.