Rightwing Nationalism

Rightwing Nationalism (Product of Globalization)

• Fueled (in part) by reaction to aspects of globalization:

• e.g. offshoring, immigration, multiculturalism, gender equality, international law and institutions…

Rightwing Nationalism (Crisis of Globalization)

• Anti-globalization rhetoric

• Trade protectionism

• Anti-immigrant restrictions

• Securitized borders

• Withdrawal from international institutions

• Rejection of green transition

• Undermining public health institutions

The New Nationalism

• Rightwing nationalist populist parties =

  • Populism + exclusionary nationalism

  • Conservative social and economic values

  • Illiberal/authoritarian tendencies

  • Strongman leadership

• Many common (but not universal) views

  • Anti-immigrant

  • Anti-minority

  • Patriarchal gender politics

  • Emphasis on border security

  • Commitment to national “sovereignty”

  • Rejection of environmental concerns

  • Critiques of supra-national institutions

More mixed on economic nationalism vs. free trade/globalization

Nationalism →

• Tries to bring state and imagined national community into alignment

“Imagined Community”

• → Nation-state is based on

  • “Imagined community” among strangers

    • (Doesn’t mean fake or false)

  • Limited community

    • (Always implies in/out distinction)

• Forging this national identity requires

  • Origin myths

  • Selective memory

• There are always competing versions of national imagined community

Nationalist (Nationalism)

• In/out

• Citizen vs. foreigner

• And often citizen vs. minority

• Blurry lines between “patriotism” and “nationalism”

Populist (Populism)

• Up/down

• People vs. elites

• Anti-establishment

• Claim to speak for “the people”/”silent majority”

• Can be “left” or “right”

Socially/economically conservative (Rightwing/Conserativism)

• Traditional gender/family roles

• Religious values

• Anti-DEI

• Small government

• Pro-business

Illiberal (Illiberalism)

• Erosion of key liberal institutions (elections, courts, separation of powers, free press...)

Authoritarian (Authoritarianism)

• Repression/elimination of democracy

• Heavily centralized power in party/leader

• Emphasis on military/police power

Strongman/charismatic leaders (Strongman politics)

• Movements centered on individual leader, rather than (just) program, party

• Seems to “break with the ordinary”

• Often have direct, emotive style, convey “authenticity”

• Performance of machismo/toughness

• Holds out “vision” of alternative world

Rightwing Nationalist populist parties

• Populism + exclusionary nationalism

• Conservative social and economic values

• Illiberal/authoritarian tendencies

• Strongman leadership

Many common (but not universal) views

• Anti-immigrant

• Anti-minority

• Patriarchal gender politics

• Emphasis on border security

• Commitment to national “sovereignty”

• Rejection of environmental concerns

• Critiques of supra-national institutions

More mixed on economic nationalism vs. free trade/globalization

New Nationalism (where/when)

• How “new” is the “new nationalism”?

  • Some going back to late 1990s/early 2000s (e.g., India, South Africa, Russia, Israel...)

  • More taking off since the mid-2010s (e.g., US, UK, Brazil, France, Philippines, Hungary...)

  • Some more recent (e.g., Bukele, Milei...)

• Most elected to power → “democratic backsliding”

• The “new nationalism” in each country is unique, but also part of interconnected global phenomenon

• Note: Trump did not begin this trend; he is part of it – but he has strengthened it a lot

Democratic Backsliding

• New nationalisms → gradual weakening of democratic institutions, norms and protections from within political system

  • Attacks on key liberal institutions (courts, media, electoral bodies)

  • Rhetoric of the “real people” used to curb rights of immigrants and ethnic, religious, ideological minorities

  • Electoral manipulation used to “rig” the system in favor of ruling party (e.g., voter suppression, gerrymandering, changing term limits, etc.)

New Nationalism (Causes? - Kimmage)

Kimmage:

• US history of right-wing anti-communism

• Strongmen desires for power/glory

• Resentment of international constraints/US liberal hegemony

• Calling for return to stronger LIEO

New Nationalism (Causes? - Brown)

Brown:

• Neoliberal (domestic) economic damage → economic populism

• Neoliberal forms of reason → exhaustion of liberal democracy

• “Profound sense of unfreedom” and “no future”

• Calling for overthrow of neoliberal status quo (domestic focus)

New Nationalism (Causes? - Ray & Hart)

Ray & Hart:

• Neoliberal globalization as producing two simultaneous processes

  • 1) Increasing transnational economic integration → wealth for some, and economic and social disruptions for many →

  • 2) Rise of new nationalist and populist movements in response

• Calling for rejection of neoliberal globalization (free market logics, etc.) (Hart)

New Nationalisms, Identity, Territory

• Nationalism →

  • Tries to bring state and imagined national community into alignment

• Option 1: Repressing and/or excising unwanted “others” from existing territory

  • Via immigration restrictions, deportations, curbing legal rights/harassment of minorities, etc.

  • → Contra ‘G’lobalization embrace of multiculturalism and diversity

• Option 2: Expanding state borders in line with imagined national territory

  • → Violation of LIEO rules on respect for existing state borders

New Nationalisms, Liberal Internationalism, and National Sovereignty

• Rightwing nationalist attachment to idea of absolute sovereignty

  • → Critiques of supra-national institutions as undermining national sovereignty

  • → Weakening and/or leaving international institutions

→ Undermining liberal internationalism of the LIEO

→ Weakening global governance and cooperation (on climate, health, development, military deterrence...)

New Nationalisms and Economic Globalization

• Rightwing nationalist views on economic liberalization

  • More varied than on immigration, security, international governance

  • Tendency towards (aspects of) “economic nationalism” – trade protectionism, reshoring policies, etc.

  • Financial globalization generally left alone!

→ Possible fragmentation of “global” economic space (at least for trade

and manufacturing)

→ Increasing importance of regional and/or allied economic blocs

Trump: Competing Economic Strategies

• Competing definitions of “America First”

• Economic nationalism

  • Globalization → decline of American industry/workers

  • Tariffs/protectionism → will restore American manufacturing and good jobs

  • Envisions more economic autonomy for US

• Economic transactionalism

  • Globalization → US giving “more” to world than it got in return → wants “better deal” for US

  • Economic policies should benefit US more than rest of world

  • Tariffs → (temporary) tools for revenge/economic deals/political concessions

  • → Strategically selective economic protectionism/openness

  • → Tit for tat deals with any country

State-Capitalist Geopolitics and/vs. the New Nationalism?

• Shift towards increasingly open geopolitical and economic rivalry among states

• Struggle for control over already globalized economic networks

• Use of increasingly interventionist state economic tools

• Caused in part by “virulent forms of economic nationalism that collapse the distinction between economic interest and national security”

• BUT

  • Only some rightwing nationalist governments are (selectively) embracing state-capitalist economic approaches

  • Governments across political spectrum are embracing these approaches

  • → i.e., overlapping and partially connected, but also distinct phenomena

New Nationalisms, Globalization, and the LIEO

• Rightwing nationalisms →

  • Try to bring state and imagined national community into alignment

    • Via repressing and/or excising unwanted “others”

    • Via (attempted) expansion of state territorial borders

  • Weaken/leave international agreements in name of taking back state sovereignty from supranational institutions

  • Selectively restrict international economic processes to shore up “national” economies

• → All promote (simplified) ideals of “national” identity, borders,sovereignty, and economy over

  • (Ideals of) international integration, cooperation, or development

  • Relatively open immigration policies

  • Often over neoliberal economic policies