With many in the U.S. studying the factors fueling Donald Trump‘s rise, it’s worth looking at hyper-nationalist movements reshaping politics in other democracies. Right-wing political movements touting an “us vs. them” worldview have risen in India, Turkey, and Israel the past two years. These political forces threaten to undermine pluralism, inclusivity, and tolerance–and could leave countries more susceptible to authoritarian rule.
Some of these movements seek–overtly and implicitly–to replace civic nationalism with narrower definitions along racial, ethnic, or religious lines. In Europe, where liberalism was reborn in the modern era, right-wing nationalist forces are using nativism in former Communist-bloc countries such as Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia. A far-right-wing party’s strong showing in Germany’s recent state elections is another indication of the extreme nativist trend being driven by the global migration crisis.
The above excerpt was originally published in The Wall Street Journal.
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