We have a new model in which we no longer have parties of government of right and left but rather a civic democratic party and an authoritarian populist party. There’s a good chance they’ll be contesting elections for a while, even as the authoritarian populist party is trying in various ways to end them or radically change how free they are.
I’m in the USA - is my perception that this rise of authoritarian populism is a global phenomenon correct, or do Americans just pay more attention to that sort of thing abroad when we’re worried about it at home? In other words, Trump is a new phenomenon here but are the Trump-like politicians elsewhere new there too or are they more of the same?
It’s very much a global thing. It’s happening all over the planet, in various EU countries, in South America, across Asia. Even Canada is seeing a sharp rise in right wing extremism. Trump-like politicians are being elected in many places, and extreme right parties are gaining seats in parliaments, and racist, sexist, intolerant civilians are becoming more and more vocal and violent in every corner of the world.
There are other examples of Trump-like politicians; Putin in Russia and Orbán in Hungary come to mind. Trump is kind of unique in explicitly modeling his rhetoric after Hitler’s.
Everything has come full circle. Hitler was heavily inspired by US policy for many of his actions