Yanis Varoufakis and David Adler - We shouldn't rush to save the liberal order. We should remake it
A Nationalist
International is under construction. From Viktor Orbán in the north to Jair
Bolsonaro in the south, Rodrigo Duterte in the east to Donald Trump in the
west, a coalition of nationalist strongmen are cracking down on civil rights,
scapegoating minorities and facilitating widespread corruption for their family
and friends.
There is growing
recognition that – to fight these forces of division – we must forge our
own Progressive
International movement. In the United States, Bernie Sanders has
called to “unite people all over the world” to counter authoritarianism. In the
United Kingdom, Jeremy Corbyn has promised to draw on “the best
internationalist traditions of the labour movement”. If Benjamin Netanyahu’s
attendance at Bolsonaro’s inauguration suggests strong ties between nationalist
leaders, Corbyn’s attendance at Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s inauguration
suggests growing solidarity between leftwing ones, as well.
But while thinking
global, the new internationalists continue to act local. Of course, they debate
questions of foreign policy, attend international forums, and march against
military intervention. But when it comes to supporting causes abroad, their
actions are largely symbolic: tweets and petitions that purport to “stand in
solidarity” with imperiled communities. Ignored, untouched or
otherwise dismissed is a vast infrastructure of international institutions.
These institutions have tremendous power – all too frequently abused by the
officials at their helm – to transform the world. Yet they remain beyond the
scope of most progressive politics... read more:
