Between Moderation and Mistrust: Rethinking Polarization in Brazil and the United States – Inter-American Dialogue

Between Moderation and Mistrust: Rethinking Polarization in Brazil and the United States – Inter-American Dialogue

Across democracies from Washington to Brasília, polarization has become the shorthand explanation for institutional strain and electoral volatility. The term has become a default explanation for everything from social media skirmishes to electoral outcomes, institutional clashes, and even democratic erosion. Politics, many argue, has turned into a permanent state of confrontation, resembling a football match more than public deliberation. Yet po…