🔗 Share this article Don't Succumb to the Authoritarian Hype – Reform and the Far Right Are Able to Be Halted in Their Tracks The Reform UK leader portrays his Reform UK party as a unique occurrence that has burst on to the world stage, its meteoric rise an exceptional epochal event. But this week, in every one of Europe’s leading countries and from India and Thailand to the US and South America, far-right, anti-immigrant, anti-globalisation parties similar to his are also leading in the public surveys. During recent Czech voting, the rightwing, pro-Putin populist Andrej Babiš overthrew prime minister Petr Fiala. National Rally, which has just forced the resignation of yet another France's leader, is ahead the polls for both the presidential race and parliament. In the German nation, the right-wing AfD party is currently the most popular party. Hungary’s Fidesz party, Robert Fico’s pro-Russian Slovakian coalition and the Italian political group are already in power, while the Austrian FPÖ, the Dutch PVV and Belgium’s Vlaams Belang – all staunch nationalist groups – are part of an international coalition of opponents of global cooperation, inspired by far-right propagandists like Steve Bannon, aiming to dethrone the global legal order, diminish fundamental freedoms and destroy international collaboration. The Populist Nationalist Surge The populist nationalist surge exposes a recent undeniable reality that democrats ignore at our peril: an nationalist ideology – once thought defeated with the historic barrier – has supplanted economic liberalism as the leading belief system of our age, giving us a world of priorities: “America first”, “India first”, “China first”, “Russia first”, “group priority” and often “exclusive group focus” regimes. It is this nationalist sentiment that helps explain why the world is now composed of many autocratic states and fewer democratic ones, and this ideology is the force behind the breaches of international human rights law not just by one nation in conflict but in almost every one of the world’s 59 cross-border conflicts and civil wars. Understanding the Underlying Forces Crucial to grasp the underlying forces, widespread globally, that have fuelled this new age of nationalism. It begins with a widely felt sense that a globalisation that was open but not inclusive has been a free for all that has not been fair to all. For more than a decade, leaders have not only been slow to respond to the millions who feel left out and left behind, but also to the shifting dynamics of world economic influence, transitioning from a US-dominated era once led by the US to a multi-power landscape of rival major nations, and from a rules-based order to a power-based one. The ethnic nationalism that this has incited means free trade is giving way to protectionism. Where market forces used to drive government policies, the nationalist agendas is now driving financial choices, and already over a hundred nations are running protectionist strategies characterized by bringing production home and ally-focused trade and by bans on international commerce, investment and technology transfer, sinking international cooperation to its weakest point since 1945. Hope in Global Public Sentiment But all is not lost. The cement is still wet, and even as it hardens we can see optimism in the common sense of the world's population. In a poll conducted for a prominent organization, of thousands of individuals in 34 countries we find a significant portion are less receptive to an divisive nationalist agenda and more willing to embrace global teamwork than many of the leaders who govern them. Globally there is, perhaps surprisingly, only a limited number of staunch global cooperation opponents representing a minority of the world's people (even if 25% in the United States currently) who either feel peaceful living between diverse communities is unattainable or have a zero-sum mindset that if they or their nation do well, it has to be at the expense of others doing badly. But there are an additional group at the other end, whom we might call dedicated globalists, who either still see international collaboration through free commerce as a positive sum win-win, or are what a prominent philosopher calls “locally engaged global citizens”. Worldwide Public Position Most people of the global public are moderate in views: not isolated patriots, as “America first” ideology would suggest, or all-in cosmopolitans. They are devoted to their country but don’t see the world as in a never-ending struggle between the “our side” and the “them”, adversaries permanently set apart from each other in an unbridgeable divide. Do the majority in the middle prefer a duty-free or a responsible global community? Are they willing to accept responsibilities beyond their garden gate or city wall? Yes, under specific circumstances. A first group, about a fifth, will support humanitarian action to alleviate hardship and are prepared to act out of selflessness, supporting disaster relief for disaster zones. Those we might call “good cause” multilateralists feel the pain of others and have faith in something bigger than themselves. Another segment comprising a similar percentage are practical cooperators who want to know that any taxes paid for international development are used effectively. And there is a third group, 21%, self-interested multilateralists, who will endorse teamwork if they can see that it benefits them and their local areas, whether it be through ensuring them basic necessities or safety and stability. Forging a Collaborative Consensus Thus a definite majority can be built not just for emergency assistance if money is well spent but also for global action to deal with worldwide issues, like environmental emergency and pandemic prevention, as long as this argument is presented on grounds of wise personal benefit, and if we emphasize the reciprocal benefits that flow to them and their own country. And thus for those who have long questioned whether we cooperate out of need or if we have a necessity for collaboration, the response is each. This willingness to cooperate across borders shows how we can reverse the anti-foreigner sentiment: we can defeat current pessimistic, isolated and often forceful and controlling nationalism that vilifies newcomers, outsiders and “different groups” as long as we champion a optimistic, outward-looking and inclusive national pride that addresses people’s desire to belong and resonates with their everyday worries. Tackling Key Issues And while in-depth polls tell us that across the west, unauthorized entry is currently the top concern – and it's clear that it must quickly be managed effectively – the snapshots of opinion also tell us that the people are even more concerned about what is happening in their personal circumstances and within their immediate neighborhoods. Last month, a prominent leader gave an emotional speech about how what’s positive in the nation can overcome what’s negative, doing so precisely because in most western countries, “broken” and “deteriorating” are the words people have for years most frequently used when asked about both our financial system and society. However, as the prime minister also reminded us, the extreme right is more interested in exploiting grievances than ending them. A Reform leader hailed a ill-fated economic plan as “the best Conservative budget” since the 1980s. But he would also implement a similar plan – what was planned – the largest reductions in government programs. The party's proposal to cut government expenditure by a huge sum would not fix downtrodden communities but ravage them, turn citizen against citizen and wreck any sense of unity. Under a hard-right regime, you will not be able to afford to be ill, impaired, poor or at-risk. Every day from now on, and in every electoral district, the party should be asked which hospital, which educational institution and which government service will be the first to be reduced or closed. Risks and Solutions “Faragism” is economic theory at its most inhumane, more harmful even than monetary policy, and vindictive far beyond austerity. What the people are indicating all over the west is that they want their governments to rebuild our financial systems and our civic societies. “The party” and its international partners should be exposed day after day for plans that would harm both. And for those of us who believe our greatest achievements could be in the future, we can go beyond pointing out the party's contradictions by presenting a argument for a improved nation that appeals not just to visionaries, but to realists, to self-interest, and to the daily kindness of the nation's citizens.