{"id":13692,"date":"2024-07-03T10:29:41","date_gmt":"2024-07-03T15:29:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/?p=13692"},"modified":"2024-07-11T13:07:09","modified_gmt":"2024-07-11T18:07:09","slug":"the-conservative-populist-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/2024\/07\/03\/the-conservative-populist-moment\/","title":{"rendered":"The conservative-populist moment?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This article was modified on July 11 to clarify a few points (mainly in the third paragraph) about multipolarity and media.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The potential re-election of Donald Trump; the fact that Marine Le Pen’s (and Jordan Bardella’s) National Rally<\/a> took the greatest number of votes in France’s parliamentary elections; the ongoing leadership of conservative populists like Viktor Orb\u00e1n in Hungary, Georgia Meloni in Italy, Narendra Modi in India, and even more authoritarian figures like Vladimir Putin, whose popularity in Russia continues unabated by his war on Ukraine — these things tend to shock, surprise, and dismay many of us who are committed to liberal-democratic or social-democratic values. But they really should not be so surprising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the same token, Joe Biden’s failure, at last Thursday’s debate, to communicate an alternative to Trump-style authoritarian populism, an alternative that should be obvious<\/em> but that isn’t, is not just his own failure. It’s a broadly institutional failure of western leadership, and also not exactly a surprise. Let me explain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The last fifty years have seen deep wealth disparities exacerbated by neoliberal economic policies, even as leaders of western nations have extolled the benefits of democracy, capitalism, market values, and economic globalization. Meanwhile, the bipolar world of the 1950s through the 1980s descended first into a unipolarity, in which wannabe “joiners” of the West like Russia saw their polities decimated by neoliberal policies that helped their wealthiest and hurt their most vulnerable — and then to the beginnings of a multipolarity<\/a> defined less by the forces of any kind of emergent global democracy than by wannabe neo-empires like Russia, Iran, and China. Concurrently, media, which have become both digital and global, have become part of the terrain of competition (and, in fact, war) between these powers — even as media display and flaunt the continuing disparities and bring ongoing wars and conflicts ever closer to us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the background, the real challenges of our time — ecological destabilization, large-scale toxification produced by industrial capitalism, and now a rapidly changing climate — have ignited processes that render whole populations ever more vulnerable, that pit groups of people against each other in the quest for resources (resulting in more wars and social conflicts), and that set off waves of migrants scrambling across borders. Even as climate and ecological changes are ignored or denied, their effects are very real, and the handy denial of the causes (offered by conservatives and<\/em> by capitalist elites) only results in a deflection onto other imagined causes — global cabals<\/a>, divine retribution<\/a>, and the like. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the world becomes increasingly unstable and seemingly feverish<\/a>, and as the West’s mainstream solutions — the stay-the-course more-of-the-sameism of leaders like Biden, Macron, and before them Blair and Clinton — fail to convince, the only politicians whose campaigns resonate widely are those with clear, easily-digestible messages. These are messages that draw upon fear — fear of change, fear of otherness (of migrants, of people who don\u2019t look or talk “like us”), and fear of the unknown — and that promise the return of a backward-looking, insular sense of social solidarity. They appeal to those who feel “left behind<\/a>” by a global elite. In a globally mediated world, that elite is pretty visible, and so the sense of “left behindness” is palpable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s precisely what the Trumps, Putins, Orb\u00e1ns, and Le Pens propose to assuage in their followers. They offer the solidarity of an imagined past — of \u201cwhite Christian America,\u201d or \u201cwhite Christian Europe\u201d (Orb\u00e1n, Le Pen, Meloni, et al.), or \u201cGreat Russia\u201d (Putin), or \u201cHindu India\u201d (Modi). It\u2019s these politicians who are most successful at communicating their vision today, and it\u2019s their politics that are arguably, and regrettably, in the ascendant around the world. They constitute the world’s conservative-populist moment, a moment whose fascist tendencies threaten to blow up into a full-scale form like that found in Russia<\/a> today. In this sense, Putin is a harbinger of things to come, and Trump is his western, “democratic” echo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In times of crisis, communication is paramount. This is why Biden’s failure to communicate last Thursday — which capped a tenure of capable, even astute, management, but one curiously lacking in any ability to communicate a vision — was as significant a failure as it was. But it’s a failure that is not just his own. It’s the failure of an era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The solutions the conservative populists offer are, of course, false. What the world needs is more like the opposite. The present state of things<\/a> calls for a vision not of fear, but of love — love of life, love of the diversity of humanity, and love of its past and future relations with Earth\u2019s biotic and ecological systems. And it calls for the promise of a forward<\/em>-looking and expansive social solidarity<\/a>, one that takes from the best of human potentials rather than the worst, and that is inclusive rather than exclusive — inclusive not only of humans who look and speak differently<\/em> from us, but of the nonhuman relationships and interdependencies that we depend on, that today depend on us, and that necessarily will contribute to a viable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s an eco-social vision that has yet to be articulated clearly and forcefully. We can find it here and there, in amidst the plethora of left and green<\/a> intellectual currents in Europe (for instance, in France\u2019s Nouveau Front Populaire, which will be contesting the second round of French parliamentary elections this coming week). We even find it more incipiently even in strands of conservativism around the world, which try to connect a sense of community (however limited in their imagination) with a historical rootedness in place. We hear it amidst the tangled narratives espoused by some of the more forward-looking religious leaders (Pope Francis comes to mind), and in the mixed messaging of President Biden\u2019s euphemistically misnamed Inflation Reduction Act. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it is yet to be coherently articulated — as an inspiring, even captivating, forward-looking vision<\/a> — by recognized global political leaders. Those who come closest to articulating it tend, not coincidentally, to be women, like New Zealand\u2019s Jacinda Ardern, Finland\u2019s Sanna Marin, Slovakia\u2019s Zuzana \u010caputov\u00e1, Germany’s Annalena Baerbock, Colombia\u2019s Francia M\u00e1rquez, and Brazil\u2019s Marina Silva (among heads of state or prominent political figures). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What all this means is that if the world appears to be \u201cgoing Trumpist,\u201d it\u2019s because there is not yet a coherent spokesperson for the credible eco-egalitarian alternative that is needed. Trumpism, Putinism, and their kindred base themselves on fear and bigotry. What we need instead is a vision of climate transition and global eco-social solidarity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who will articulate it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The fact that the above image comes from 2015 says something… This moment is a long moment.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Neither Biden’s debate failure nor Trump’s continuing popularity (and that of Le Pen’s National Rally) should surprise us. They are explainable. And they can be overcome.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[690660,691215],"tags":[711165,711169,711170,711171,358,454994,520554,628643,123630,25097,711166,711167,520580,103308,711168,659205,520588],"class_list":["post-13692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cultural_politics","category-politics_postpolitics","tag-conservative-populism","tag-eco-social","tag-ecosocialism","tag-ecotopianism","tag-fascism","tag-green-politics","tag-illiberalism","tag-joe-biden","tag-left-green-politics","tag-liberalism","tag-marine-le-pen","tag-national-rally","tag-populism","tag-putinism","tag-rassemblement-nationale","tag-trumpism","tag-utopianism"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4IC4a-3yQ","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9730,"url":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/2018\/09\/17\/illiberalism-the-utopian-deficit\/","url_meta":{"origin":13692,"position":0},"title":"“Illiberalism” & the utopian deficit","author":"Adrian J Ivakhiv","date":"September 17, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"An off-the-cuff essay, written not for any particular occasion, but just to get it out of me. It's probably mostly common knowledge (among people on the green left), just maybe not well articulated yet, and too easily forgotten. Politically, we're all playing a little catch-up these days. Understanding the apparent\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Cultural politics"","block_context":{"text":"Cultural politics","link":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/category\/cultural_politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/files\/2018\/09\/preview-275x155.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12651,"url":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/2022\/07\/10\/klimat\/","url_meta":{"origin":13692,"position":1},"title":"Klimat","author":"Adrian J Ivakhiv","date":"July 10, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I've just posted a piece called \"Understanding Russia\" over at UKR-TAZ, in which I look at some proximate and deeper causes of continued Russian support for the invasion of Ukraine. It's mainly a review of some recent literature. The part that may be of greatest interest to readers of Immanence\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Politics"","block_context":{"text":"Politics","link":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/category\/politics_postpolitics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1035,"url":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/2009\/02\/26\/green-cultural-studies\/","url_meta":{"origin":13692,"position":2},"title":"Green cultural studies","author":"Adrian J Ivakhiv","date":"February 26, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"\"Cultural studies\" refers to the study of cultural objects, meanings, and processes, and their production and use in contemporary society. It is an interdisciplinary field with a twin commitment to intellectual rigor and social relevance. While the \"rigor\" piece sometimes means \"objectivity,\" often it involves a questioning of the assumption\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Academe"","block_context":{"text":"Academe","link":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/category\/academe\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1113,"url":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/2009\/09\/01\/teddy-goldsmith-left-right-ecopolitics\/","url_meta":{"origin":13692,"position":3},"title":"Teddy Goldsmith & left-right ecopolitics","author":"Adrian J Ivakhiv","date":"September 1, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"The obits have been coming in, albeit a little slowly, for Edward \"Teddy\" Goldsmith, founder of the fearless and influential British journal The Ecologist, co-founding member of Britain's Green and Ecology parties, and publisher of the instrumental 1972 manifesto A Blueprint for Survival. Goldsmith, who died in his sleep on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Eco-culture"","block_context":{"text":"Eco-culture","link":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/category\/ecoculture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9187,"url":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/2017\/05\/01\/may-day-thoughts-on-labor-livelihood\/","url_meta":{"origin":13692,"position":4},"title":"May Day thoughts: on labor & livelihood","author":"Adrian J Ivakhiv","date":"May 1, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"May Day (Beltane, Walpurga's Day, et al.) is a good time for reflecting on\u00a0politics, ecology, and possibility. The following can be considered part of\u00a0a\u00a0series on this blog. When neoliberalism is understood as the alliance between economic liberalization and social liberalization -- that is, between those who would \"liberate\" capitalist markets\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Manifestos & auguries"","block_context":{"text":"Manifestos & auguries","link":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/category\/manifestos-and-auguries\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/files\/2017\/05\/o1llH-179x275.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10889,"url":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/2020\/07\/01\/diagnosing-trump-like-derangement-syndrome\/","url_meta":{"origin":13692,"position":5},"title":"Diagnosing Trump-like derangement syndrome","author":"Adrian J Ivakhiv","date":"July 1, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The Covid-19 situation in the United States, which has become the epicenter of new infections because of its flawed and chaotic response to the pandemic, is seen by some around the world as an emergency case of its own, requiring some sort of defensive response by countries that could become\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Climate change"","block_context":{"text":"Climate change","link":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/category\/climate-politics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/files\/2020\/07\/2560.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/files\/2020\/07\/2560.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/files\/2020\/07\/2560.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/files\/2020\/07\/2560.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/files\/2020\/07\/2560.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/99"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13692"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13692\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13719,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13692\/revisions\/13719"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/aivakhiv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}