A new book, End Times Fascism and the Fight for the Living World by Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor, examines how far-right coalitions are exploiting climate disasters to gain political influence. The book details how these groups, including the alt-right, are using cascading global crises to their advantage, often by promoting apocalyptic narratives and conspiratorial ideas about cultural replacement and immigration.
Background And History
The alt-right, a far-right and white nationalist movement, originated in the United States during the late 2000s and has since spread to other countries. The term “alt-right” was popularized by Richard B. Spencer, who launched The Alternative Right webzine in 2010. The movement has been associated with other white nationalist websites and groups, and has used online harassment and trolling to raise its profile.
Exploiting Climate Disasters
Today’s fascists, as described by Klein and Taylor, believe that end times have arrived and are seeking to profit from cascading global crises while protecting themselves. The book identifies three factions of end times fascists: religious fundamentalists, Silicon Valley technologists, and ethno-nationalists. These groups are united by their shared apocalypticism, and are using climate disasters to further their goals. For example, the company said that the alt-right movement espouses the pseudoscientific idea of biological racism and promotes a form of identity politics in favor of European Americans and white people internationally.
Numbers And Influence
The influence of far-right groups can be seen in recent elections, where they have made significant gains. In Brazil, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, Flávio Bolsonaro, won the first round of voting in the country’s election. In Germany, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party won 16.3% of the vote in the state election in Berlin. Officials noted that the far-right is still poised to grow in many countries without a political alternative to the capitalist system.
What It Means Now
The exploitation of climate disasters by far-right groups has significant implications for global politics and the environment. As Astra Taylor noted, the far-right is using climate disasters to further their goals, including promoting apocalyptic narratives and conspiratorial ideas. The company said that understanding how the far-right uses climate disasters to build political power is critical to pushing back against their influence. Data shows that mass struggle and protests have been effective in defeating far-right candidates in recent elections, and that continued activism and awareness are necessary to counter the growing influence of the far-right. As Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor’s book highlights, the fight against end times fascism requires a deep understanding of the ways in which far-right groups are exploiting climate disasters to gain political power.
Sources
- How the Far-Right Uses Climate Disasters to Build Political Power
- Alt-right
- ‘The Voice’ is back, all right! The show finally goes [Total Request] LIVE again, with Season 30’s Y2K-themed Playoffs
- Mass Struggle Powers Electoral Defeats For The Right
- Berlin's Left Party seeks to remove MP over Mideast politics
- 20 Years Later, the Cold War Kids are all right
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