Mark Leonard's World in 30 Minutes The new politics with Ivan Krastev
17 snips
Aug 1, 2025 
Ivan Krastev, a leading political scientist and founding board member of ECFR, dives into the rise of the New Right and its threat to liberalism. He highlights how the successes of right-wing parties challenge traditional political narratives, focusing on identity over economic issues. The discussion touches on the crisis within liberalism and the transformative effects of nationalism in Europe and the U.S. As political parties grapple with these changes, Krastev emphasizes the importance of understanding these shifts to navigate the evolving landscape.
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New Right's Demographic Anxiety
- The new right-wing nationalism is a transnational movement rooted in demographic anxiety and a backlash against progressive gender politics.
- It rejects the liberal idea of chosen identities, emphasizing biological and cultural continuity as natural and under threat.
New Right Prioritizes Cultural Identity
- The new right focuses more on cultural dignity of the working class than on economic issues, contrasting with traditional left-wing politics.
- Both radical left and right share anti-elite stances and an apocalyptic view, but differ in what they seek to save.
Liberalism's Crisis in Polarized Politics
- Liberalism today struggles as it defends neutral institutions seen as status quo protectors, making it vulnerable to attacks by both progressives and national conservatives.
- The clash of ideologies is back, and liberals can no longer be seen as neutral referees in polarized politics.
