Members of far-right nationalist party National Movement (RN) during a rally in front of the US embassy in Warsaw Poland 25 April 2018
Photograph: NTB Scanpix

World of the Right: Alternative visions of global order (WoR)

2018 - 2022 (Ongoing)
Research Project
The project looks deeper into the conservative New Right in Russia, the US, and Europe, examining in particular the alternative visions of Western civilisational order that these movements harbour, and their relationship to liberal (international) ideology in its post-1989 and post-1945 forms.

In the US, Russia, and several EU-countries the nationalist, radical and often populist Right is becoming increasingly influential. While we know quite a lot about how these ideologies shape domestic politics, and what thoughts they harbour on topics such as the nation-state and immigration, we know surprisingly little about their visions and ideas for global order. Whilst often labelled as 'anti-liberal', this project challenges that, seeing them as far more hybrid in visions; also in how they relate back to the post-1945 order. 

The project at NUPI looks deeper into the international ideology of the conservative New Right in Russia, the US, and Europe, examining the increasingly stronger conservative reaction to the liberal world order after 1989: what are their alternative visions of the international, and how this impact their visions of topics such as the family, the national, and the borders of what an international community can do? The policy component of the project will look at the implications of these visions for Norwegian and European foreign- and security policy. Theoretically, the project aims to i) expand how we think about liberal ideology in IR and reactions to liberal ideology, ii) explore and discuss the commonalities between the New Right's stated anti-liberalism and realism and conservatism in political theory. 

The 3-year project at NUPI is in part funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Defence (MoD), and is lead by Research Fellow Minda Holm. She is in paralell with the MoD-project writing a PhD on the topic at the University of Copenhagen, Department of Political Science (supervisor Prof. Ole Wæver), and is also affiliated with the Danish Institute of International Studies (DIIS). Her PhD project is preliminary titled Theorizing (liberal) international ideology and counter-ideology: The post-1989 liberal script and the New Right’s critique.

The project is part of and also funded by a wider international research project on the World of the Right funded by the Danish Velux Foundation, lead by Dr. Vibeke Schou Tjalve (DIIS) and in cooperation with Professor Michael C. Williams (University of Ottawa) and senior lecturer, Jean Francios Drolet, University of Queen Mary, London.  Schou Tjalve will contribute to the project at NUPI with her expertise on the American New Right. More information on the Velux project here.

Funders

the Norwegian Ministry of Defence and Velux Foundation

Articles

Orbán’s racism shouldn’t come as a surpise

September 10, 2022

This op-ed was published 10.09.22

Publications

Publication : Op-ed

Myter om ytre høyre

2021
They are called populists, anti-liberal and pro-Russian - but is it that simple?
Publication : Report

Brothers in Arms and Faith? The Emerging US-Central and Eastern Europe ‘Special Relationship’

2020
In this policy note, we explore the nature, strength and tensions of the contemporary US-Central Eastern Europe relationship. We describe the expanding ...
Publication : Popular scientific article

Drømmen om å gjenkristne Europa

2019
The political leadership in Hungary, Poland and Russia talks of protecting Christians abroad - and about saving Europe from itself.
Publication : Popular scientific article

Står den liberale epoken for fall?

2019
30 years after the fall of the wall the world is more about continuity than change.
Publication : KRONIKK

Russland og det ytre høyre

2019
(Available in Norwegian only): Båndene mellom Russland og ytre høyre i Europa er mer kompliserte enn man kan få inntrykk av i vestlig media, skriver Minda ...
Publication : ARTIKKEL

Mutual Lack of Introspection and the ‘Russia Factor’ in the Liberal West

2019
Minda Holm makes three claims in this article: one about the representation of Russia as an external enemy and the reflex to blame Russia for unwanted ...
Publication : NUPI Working Paper

Visions of an Illiberal World Order? The National Right in Europe, Russia and the US

2018
The rise of a national Right in both Europe and the US is disrupting the security agendas of Western foreign– and defense ministries. Long accustomed ...
Publication : ARTIKKEL

States before relations: On misrecognition and the bifurcated regime of sovereignty

2018
The symbolic structure of the international system, organised around sovereignty, is sustained by an institutional infrastructure that shapes how states ...
Publication : ARTIKKEL_POP

Ideologenes kamp

2018
(Norwegian only): To innflytelsesrike ideologer – en russisk, en amerikansk – bygger høyreradikale nettverk i Europa. Selv om ideologien springer ut fra ...
Publication : KRONIKK

Norge, USA og folkeretten

2018
(Available in Norwegian only): Når det gjelder USA og folkeretten, er problemet ikke så mye Trump, som at USA konsekvent bryter de verdiene de selv forfekter, ...
Publication : ARTIKKEL_POP

Ytre Høyre, Foren Eder!

2017
Ytre høyre forfekter nasjonalstaten, men er stadig mer internasjonale. Båndene er særlig sterke mellom bevegelser i USA og Russland.
Publication : ARTIKKEL

What, When, and Where, Then, is the Concept of Sovereignty?

2018
It is difficult to overstate the importance of the concept sovereignty for international relations (IR). And yet, understanding the historical emergence ...
Publication : KRONIKK

Det illiberale Europa

2017
Det er klare fellestrekk i landenes politiske utvikling. Gjennom lovendringer svekker myndighetene uavhengigheten til domstolene, sivilsamfunnet og media. ...
Publication : ARTIKKEL_POP

Frykten for populismen

2018
(Available in Norwegian only): Det snakkes mye og negativt om populistenes fremmarsj i Europa. Men det er ofte uklart hva som menes med populisme.
Publication : ARTIKKEL

Norge, USA og det liberale verdifellesskapet

2017
Trumps delvis anti-liberale politikk setter flere av USAs europeiske allierte, inkludert Norge, i en kinkig posisjon. Én mulig respons er å opptre varsomt, ...