Why Populists Love Dead Soldiers and Hate Live Officers

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Published: Winter 2025/26

President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine listen as Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Palm Beach, Fla.

Right-wing populist leaders love soldiers (especially fallen ones) and the trappings of military life. But their love affair with the military rarely endures. The political logic of populism explains this seeming paradox. Romanticizing and mythologizing the military solves a political problem for populists: how to mobilize people power without actually granting power to the people. This piece examines Bolsonaro’s Brazil; Modi’s India; the Law and Justice Party in Poland; Erdoğan’s Turkey; and Trump’s United States.

Recommended citation

Ronald R. Krebs, "Why Populists Love Dead Soldiers and Hate Live Officers," International Security, Vol. 50, No. 3 (Winter 2025/26), pp. 7–54, https://doi.org/10.1162/ISEC.a.397.

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Asia & the Pacific Europe International Relations International Security & Defense International Security Program Middle East & North Africa Military policy North America South America

Recommended citation

Ronald R. Krebs, "Why Populists Love Dead Soldiers and Hate Live Officers," International Security, Vol. 50, No. 3 (Winter 2025/26), pp. 7–54, https://doi.org/10.1162/ISEC.a.397.