Commenting on contemporary political phenomena is an inherent part of the public perception of political science scholars today. Perhaps this is the only way they can reach a wider audience. The analysis of contemporary politics, however, is a crucial challenge for the professional study of politics. Due to the rhetorical dimension of politics it is especially vital to re-frame political phenomena by some form of distancing. The thesis of this volume is that distancing is a much needed scholarly perspective that makes current political phenomena appear much less familiar than what they appear to political agents and commentators. The question is, then, how is such distancing possible?