A new dawn for nationalist parties?

October 4, 2022

A new dawn for nationalist parties?

Sebastiaan Crul
October 4, 2022

A new dawn for nationalist parties?

For many, the brutal geopolitical awakening caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China threatening to invade Taiwan means freedom is back on the political agenda...
Sebastiaan Crul
October 4, 2022
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A new dawn for nationalist parties?

October 4, 2022

For many, the brutal geopolitical awakening caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – and China threatening to invade Taiwan – means freedom is back on the political agenda. They argue that the battle of liberal democracies versus dictatorial autocracies will define the time ahead of us. As we focus on protecting freedom elsewhere and strengthening European borders, we lower our guard when it comes to another and perhaps equally important purpose of the liberal democracy: preserving safety and stability for its domestic citizens. These endeavors don’t necessarily have to conflict with each other, but tensions are always lurking.

In the years ahead of us, themes such as inflation, rising energy bills, climate disasters and (climate) immigrants will determine elections. Populist and rightwing parties are often masters at framing and appropriating these themes. Rightwing parties in Sweden have won the election by making a case against the recent surge in domestic crime and linking it to immigrants, claiming in their victory speech they plan to restore safety within national borders. In France, hardliner Marine Le Pen came closer than five years ago, Trump is back in town and won his election with “law and order” rhetoric, and far-right leader Giorgia Meloni won Italy’s 2022 elections. Their parties revolve for a great deal around providing safety and stability to working class people that suffer from the destabilizing effects of globalization.

It might seem a provocative statement at a time when a European country is literally fighting for its freedom, but in most European countries, the biggest enemy of the liberal democracy (still) comes from within.

Burning questions:
  • Have leftist parties lost their electorate to the far right as a consequence of their preoccupation with identity politics?
  • How can individual nation-states restore trust when parts of the electorate seem to live almost fully in a transnational digital environment?
About the author(s)
Economist and philosopher Sebastiaan Crul writes articles on a wide range of topics, including rule of law in digital societies, the virtualization of the lifeworld and internet culture. He is currently working on his doctoral degree on the influence of digitalization on mental health and virtue ethics, having previously published dissertations on the philosophy of play and systemic risks in the finance industry.
Pim Korsten has a background in continental philosophy and macreconomics. At the thinktank, he is mainly involved in research and consultancy projects, as well as writing articles on the latest developments in technology, politics and the economy. He is also very interested in the philosophy of history and economics, metamodernism and cultural anthropology.
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