The New American Nightmare ― Media, Populism and the Rise of Authoritarian Legacy (Medienkulturen im digitalen Zeitalter)

The New American Nightmare is a striking intervention into media culture and political spectacle, showing how democracy is destabilized by populist rage, mediated performance, and authoritarian inheritance. Trump’s presidency is situated within a global lineage of strongman politics, where television, social media, and digital platforms transform rhetoric into spectacle, eroding norms while normalizing authoritarian gestures. At its core, the book explores how images and narratives stage politics, tracing crises from immigration to global rage through Nietzschean critiques of nihilistic spectacle. Institutions appear fragile, vulnerable to cinematic presidencies and judicial threats privileging performance over substance. The analysis connects Trump to Latin America’s caudillo traditions, exposing human costs—children, minorities, and vulnerable communities caught in exclusion. Islamophobia and repression underscore dangers, yet the final section emphasizes resilience, examining executive overreach while pointing to renewal as societies confront authoritarian encroachment.

Adebowale Akande, IR Globe Cross-Cultural Inc., Vancouver, Canada, is a globally recognized scholar whose work spans leadership, cross-cultural research, Presidential Studies, and spectacle politics. Author of numerous books and more than 250 articles and chapters published in multiple languages, his scholarship has appeared in premier outlets including the Academy of Management Journal, the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, British Journal of Social Psychology, Leadership Quarterly, and Journal of Business Ethics. Collaborating with eminent thinkers such as Douglas Kellner, Susan T. Fiske, Peter Glick, Richard Boyatzis, David Lester, and Robert J. House, Dr. Akande's research interrogates leadership effectiveness, media culture, critical literacy, and the architecture of contemporary power. His contributions with his collaborators have been honored with the Commonwealth Academic Fellowship, Frank Andrew Award, Schloss Leopoldskron Fellowship, Ursula Gielen Global Book Award, and Gordon W. Allport Prize. Renowned for advancing presidential studies, American politics, and cross-cultural inquiry, Akande’s editorial vision fosters multidimensional dialogue while his scholarship continues to shape global conversations on sustainability, globalism, and the spectacle of leadership.