Opinion | Fake news and echo chambers are the virus that preys on a divided society. But what is the cure?

Mass protests seem to be breaking out all over the place, from Hong Kong to Santiago, Tehran, Bolivia, Catalonia, Ecuador, France, Iraq and Lebanon. There are many local reasons for these protests, but there are common themes, such as inequality, corruption, incompetent governments, demography, social media and demand for change.

Two Carnegie Endowment for International Peace scholars, Thomas Carothers and Andrew O'Donohue, have just published Democracy Divided: The Global Challenge of Political Polarisation, which examines these vexing questions. In a study of Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Poland, Turkey and the United States, they attribute populism to the rise of decisive leaders who push nationalism, demonise opponents and stir up issues that further divide societies. “Amplifying the effect of these divisive figures is the technologically fuelled disruption of the media industry, especially the rise of social media,” the authors said.

The authors think that polarisation in the US is particularly deep and sharp because it combines what they call the “iron triangle” of ethnicity, ideology and religion. Increasingly, partisan politics remove the bonding power of centrist or moderate forces. Too often, this creates gridlock in the legislature, diluting public trust in its efficacy and pushing decision-making increasingly to the executive branch.

In more and more elections, from Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Donald Trump, charismatic leaders win elections at the expense of polarising society.