1. Mike Allen had a smart (and concise) post a couple of days ago which neatly summarized a global “surge” of right wing/populist politics. As follows:
International Trump support reflects a global phenomenon: The hard right, once fringe, is gaining power and popularity across Europe, Latin America and elsewhere.
Why it matters: Immigration, inflation and the rising cost of climate policy are creating potent new targets for populism, the Economist reports.
Zoom in: In Europe, nationalist or far-right parties are growing in Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Poland, and even Finland and Sweden.
Newish democracies "that for decades lacked big nationalist parties — Portugal, Romania and Spain — now have them," the Economist adds.
It's also true in Latin America: Tucker Carlson just traveled to Argentina to interview Javier Milei, a self-described "anarcho-capitalist" (radical libertarian) who came out of nowhere to become the favorite in next month's presidential election.
Right-wing populists have made inroads in Chile, Paraguay and El Salvador, often with tough-on-crime messages, AP reports.
What's happening: Right-wing populists have lost — most notably former President Trump in the U.S., right-wing leader Marine Le Pen in France and Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil. But the global phenomenon doesn't appear to be ebbing, Axios' Dave Lawler tells me.
In all three, the more mainstream victors have seen their popularity wane. As in countries across the rich world, the far-right is still knocking at the door each election cycle.
Immigration and inflation are the drivers of this “surge” of support for populist and right-wing politics in the UK and Europe. Crime feeds off the immigration issue. But it’s “climate” that has added gasoline to the fire. (Sources: axios.com, reuters.com, apnews.com)
2. Wolfgang Munchau, whose newsletter Eurointelligence we ceaselessly promote, had a smart piece a couple of days ago about how climate policy is playing out in the U.K., Germany and the EU more generally. The headline atop it said: “This is how Sunak could win.” That got our attention. Here’s what followed:
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