What Brazil’s Political Convulsions Reveal About the Global Far-Right
The resurgence of far-right politics in Brazil under Bolsonaro and its parallels with global movements like Trump’s America reveal a paradox: these forces thrive not despite their conformity to neoliberal orthodoxy, but because they weaponize the failures of a system that has long abandoned its promises of progress. Rather than a radical departure, their appeal lies in a cynical embrace of decline, where revolt becomes a justification for further austerity and the status quo’s unchallenged dominance.
How does the far-right’s resilience in Brazil and the U.S. relate to the failures of neoliberalism?
The far-right’s endurance stems from its ability to channel the disillusionment created by neoliberalism’s decades-long erosion of social protections and economic security. While neoliberalism once framed austerity as a temporary sacrifice for future prosperity, it has since calcified into an end in itself—discipline without justification—which the far-right exploits by framing decline as inevitable and redirecting anger toward cultural or political elites rather than the economic system itself.
What role did the pandemic play in exposing the contradictions of far-right governance?
During the pandemic, far-right leaders like Bolsonaro and Dan Patrick openly prioritized economic survival over public health, framing the choice as a stark trade-off between starvation and disease. This strategy resonated with populations already trapped in precarity, revealing how the far-right’s rhetoric aligns with lived experiences of scarcity while normalizing the idea that systemic change is impossible.
Why does the article argue that far-right politics is a 'conformist revolt'?
The far-right presents itself as a challenge to elites, yet its proposed solutions—such as Bolsonaro’s basic income program or Trump’s tax cuts—do not alter the structural inequalities of neoliberalism. Instead, it offers a rebellion within the system, promising better outcomes for its base without disrupting the underlying power structures that produce their grievances.
Ce que ça pourrait changer
The far-right’s ability to thrive in a post-welfare, crisis-ridden neoliberal order suggests that traditional leftist strategies—focused on exposing disinformation or proposing systemic alternatives—may be insufficient without addressing the material conditions that make its narratives plausible. The normalization of decline as an unchallenged reality risks entrenching a politics where resistance itself becomes a justification for further retrenchment, making the task of imagining a different future even more daunting.
