Populists Repeat Empire Mistakes

A leader who wins by opposing globalist elites can still pursue imperial foreign‑policy choices that prioritize international status over voters’ material interests. That mismatch—campaigning against elite foreign entanglements while then enabling or initiating them—undermines the accountability link voters expect from anti‑establishment mandates. — If true, the pattern means anti‑elite electoral mandates are a poor constraint on foreign adventurism, reshaping debates about who should decide wars and how to hold leaders accountable.