Over the past decade or so far-right parties and leaders have moved from the fringes to the forefront of global politics. Figures like Donald Trump, Marine Le Pen, Giorgia Meloni, Narendra Modi and the BJP, Nigel Farage in the UK, AFD in Germany and more who’s views were once seen as outliers or shrugged off altogether, now command mass followings, win elections and shape global political discourse in a big way. Most recently, the AFD in Germany won a state election, something a far-right hasn’t done in the country since World War II and Hitler. 

The far-right is now concretely in the mainstream. 

So, why is the far-right gaining ground? 

In this conversation, we discuss:

What actually is the far right?

The difficulty of defining the right across different countries, the role of exclusionary politics and nativism, and why concepts developed from the European experience do not always neatly apply to countries like Malaysia.

Why is right-wing populism rising now?

We explore the economic and political conditions behind its resurgence, from neoliberal globalisation and inequality to declining trust in established political parties, and the sense that the promises of liberalism have benefited elites more than ordinary people.

Has the left abandoned the working class?

How centre-left parties have moved closer to professional and college-educated voters, depoliticised the economy and hyperfocused on cultural representation, creating a political vacuum that the right has been able to exploit.

Why does economic frustration become a culture war?

If people experience stagnant wages, insecurity and declining living standards, why are they often drawn towards questions of migration, race, religion and national identity rather than economic reform? And how do political movements give shape to these anxieties?

Can the left reclaim nationalism?

What would a more inclusive form of nationalism look like? One based not on ethnic or religious purity, but on sovereignty, decolonisation, economic development and bringing different communities together around better jobs, healthcare, housing and public services?

What can actually defeat the far right?

Whether left-wing populism can offer a meaningful alternative by combining economic transformation with multicultural politics, and whether political movements need to demonstrate their values through material improvements in people's everyday lives rather than simply arguing about ideology.

Reading/watching/listening list: 

• Minority Rule: Adventures in the Culture Wars by Ash Sarkar [Book]

• Tyranny of Merit by Michael Sandel [Book]

• War for Eternity by Benjamin R. Teitelbaum [Book]

• The German Word That Explains Why Young Men Are Moving Right [Substack]

• The Left Is Speaking a Dead Language [Substack]

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