Whose Xenophobia? Which Nationalism?

The New Center: A Wednesday Newsletter From Sohrab Ahmari

They demonize the non-European other and insist on cutting off social and cultural links between “us” and “them.” They use crude stereotypes to portray outsiders and “enemies.” They rely on claims of civilizational superiority to denigrate states beyond their borders. They pooh-pooh the threat from white-nationalist organizations, or at least the ones that serve their purposes. And they are increasingly mobilizing narratives of blood and soil to justify their belligerence.

But enough about the Euro-Atlantic liberal hawks. Let’s talk about the Continent’s conservative-nationalist and populist movements, whose ascendance was once more confirmed by the recent European parliamentary elections.