Government College University, Lahore

Department of Political Science

Research Topic:

Neo-Liberalism: The Rise of Far-right in the USA.

Supervised by:

Dr. Fauzia Ghani

Submitted by:

Yasir Bilal (2207-BH-PS-17)

M. Ishtiaq-ul-Hasan (2208-BH-PS-17)

Arbaz Iftikhar (1201-BH-PS-17)

1
 Acknowledgement

First of all, we are grateful to Allah Almighty for bestowing His countless blessings upon us.
Afterwards, we are highly indebted to our supervisor Dr Fauzia Ghani for her sincere guidance.
Without her help the thesis would not have been completed. Moreover, we are immensely
obliged to our parents for trusting and supporting us throughout life.

Yasir Bilal (2207-BH-PS-17)

Ishtiaq-ul-Hassan (2208-BH-PS-17)

Arbaz Iftikhar (1201-BH-PS-17)

Department of Political Science,

Government College University, Lahore.

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 Declaration

We, the students of B. A.(Hons), batch 2017-2021 Department of Political Science,

hereby declare that this thesis titled as “Neo-Liberalism: The Rise of Far-Right in the USA” is
our own work and has not been printed, published or submitted as a research work in any
institution of Pakistan or abroad.

Dated: _______________

Signatures of Students:

Yasir Bilal (2207-BH-PS-17) _________________

Ishtiaq-ul-Hassan (2208-BH-PS-17) _________________

Arbaz Iftikhar (1201-BH-PS-17) _________________

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 Research Completion Certificate

It is certified that this thesis work entitles as “Neo-Liberalism: The Rise of Far-Right in the
USA” has been prepared and submitted by Yasir Bilal (2207-BH-PS-17), M Ishtiaq-ul-Hasan
(2208-BH-PS-17) and Arbaz Iftikhar (1201-BH-PS-17). They have completed this thesis
work under my supervision for the fulfillment of the degree of B.A. (Hons) in Political
Science from Government College University, Lahore.

Dated_________________

_______________________

Supervisor

Professor Dr. Fauzia Ghani.

Department of Political Science,

GCU, Lahore.

Submitted through:

____________________ ___________________

Controller of Examination Chairperson

4
Abstract:

Neo-liberalism has been the most celebrated economic doctrine of this century. It has
unprecedented ability to accumulate profits yet socio-economic inequality that stems from it is of
no secret. The more a state adheres to neo-liberal values, higher are the chances for
concentration of wealth and widening of gulf between classes. As a reaction to this class
difference, voices of resentment pervade through societies. Far-Right leaders demonize this
resentment and present themselves as rebels against the egregiously disproportionate neo-liberal
norms. This research paper attempts to articulate this relationship between neo-liberalism and
the rise of the far-right. The United States of America has been taken as a case study. The
analysis has been conducted to underscore the reasons behind the rise of the Far-Right in USA.
The thesis has employed qualitative research methodology. Within the qualitative approach, it
has used the descriptive and analytical method. Moreover, the paper has used secondary data
collection method in order to substantiate the research. After analyzing the basic tenets of neo-
liberalism, the rise of far-right and the relation between neo-liberalism and far-right rise in the
USA, the study has concluded that neo-liberalism has been one of the driving forces behind the
rise of far-right in the USA. The far-right leaders have exploited the resentment of the masses
and have assumed political power. Donald Trump used the mantra of ‘Make America Great
Again’ to garner political support. This research paper has also explored the paradox that exists
in the words and practice of Far-Right leaders. The amalgamation of the various shades of
analysis in this research paper makes it helpful for the reader to understand that how Far-Right
and neo-liberalism have a close inter-connection and how the former draws its life by
demonizing the latter.

5
Table of Contents
Title Page……………………………………………………….1
Acknowledgement ………………………..……………………2
Declaration ……………………………..………………………3
Research Completion Certificate………….……………………4
Abstract ….……………………..………………………………4
Chapter1:
1.1 Introduction……………………….……………………..7
1.2 Research Objectives……………………………………..9
1.3 Research Questions………………………...……………9
1.4 Rationale………………………………………...……….9
1.5 Research Methodology………………………………..…9
1.6 Data Collection Method………………….……………..10
1.7 Scheme of Study………………………………….……..10
Chapter2:
2.1 Literature Review…………………………………………...12
2.2 Theoretical Framework……………………………………..16
Chapter 3
3.1 History of Neo-liberalism……………………………..19
3.2 Resurgence of Far-right in the Contemporary World……….20
Chapter 4
4.2 The Rise of Far-right in the USA……………………..…24
Conclusion………………………………………………………33
Bibliography …………………………………………….……….35

6
Chapter 1: Introduction.

The far-right politics is in the ascendant in the USA. The election of Donald
Trump as the President of the USA marked the epitome of the far-right ascendency. Donald Trump
was able to garner the support of the public on the mantra of making ‘America Great Again’. His
major objectives to make America great again included: fortifying the borders through strict anti-
immigration laws, giving back the Americans the jobs which they lost to the ‘alien foreigners’ etc.
The reasons behind this rise of far-right politics are multifarious. On the one hand, it is being
considered as a backlash against neo-liberal globalization because of its implications on the
economy of the USA. On the other hand, cultural backlash is also being considered as an important
reason. The focus of this thesis is to explain the relationship between the rises of far-right populism
in the USA and neo-liberalism. Neo-liberalism is the reincarnation of pure capitalism. The 19th
and 20th century witnessed the rise of capitalism as the most suitable economic system and
democracy as the most suitable political system. In the late 20 th century capitalism assumed a
modified form, “Neo-liberalism”. The notions of deregulation, privatization, liberalization,
internationalization and market fundamentalism were deemed as most suitable solution to
economic woes. However, with the 21st century unfolding, it is becoming apparent that the idea of
neo-liberalism being the panacea to economic problems is being challenged as the flaws of neo-
liberalism are becoming apparent. The fundamental pillars of neo-liberalism have created a new
“aggrieved class” in the developed countries. This class is resentful because of the adverse
socioeconomic conditions created by neo-liberalism. The most apparent are the loss of jobs due to
outsourcing and immigration and a cultural backlash due to the opening of borders in order to
attract polished human capital. In addition, the wages of the middle class are becoming stagnant,
and the standards of living of the poor are declining. The aim of this thesis is to analyze the political
implications of the emergence of this new class. The most obvious implication is the rise of far-
right populist leadership in the developed world. These far-right leaders have united the aggrieved
masses under the banner of anti-elitism, protectionism and anti-immigration, each of these aiming
to restore the economic and political position of the aggrieved classes. However, this thesis argues
that the far-right populists do not have any practical solution to solve the crisis caused by neo-

7
liberalism. On contrary, they just exploit the resentment of the masses in order to grab power. Once
elected to higher offices, they advance the same neo-liberal policies which they were opposing
before.

The thesis has been divided into 4 major chapters. Chapter 1 consists of Literature Review
and research methodology. Literature review has been divided thematically. Firstly, the books on
neo-liberalism have been discussed. These include: Neo-liberalism: A Very Short Introduction,
Masters of the Universe: Hayek, Friedman and the Birth of Neo-liberal Politics, Global Politics
and A Brief History of Neo-liberalism. After reviewing these books, the thesis has incorporated
history of neo-liberalism, major tenets of neoliberalism and a brief critique of neo-liberalism. After
reviewing data on neo-liberalism, books on far-right have been reviewed. Among the major books
reviewed are: The Far-right Today by Cas Mudde, Populism: A Very Short Introduction by Cas
Mudde and New Faces of Fascism: Populism and the Far-right by Enzovo Travesto. Moreover,
T.J. Coles book “Trump Inc: How Big Business and Neo-liberalism Empower Populism and the
Far-right” and, Jacob C Miller’ book “Spectacle and Trumpism: An Embodied Assemblage
Approach” have also been reviewed. After reviewing these books, the thesis has used them time
and again to refer to the politics and tactics of far-right. It has also used it to understand the
underlying causes behind the far-right resurgence. In literature review, major relevant scholarly
books, journal articles and online sources have been used. The thesis deals with two major research
questions. The first is: what are the reasons behind the rise of far-right in the USA. The second is:
How has neo-liberalism contributed to the rise of the far-right in the USA? The thesis uses
qualitative research methodology with descriptive and analytical approach. Secondary data
collection methodology has been employed. The second chapter deals with the historical evolution
of neo-liberalism and theoretical framework. It also consists of the theoretical framework of neo-
liberalism. Then, it delves deeply into different tenets of neo-liberalism. Major tenets discussed in
this chapter are: Market Fundamentalism, De-regulation, Privatization and liberalization. The third
chapter explains the resurgence of far-right after briefly defining it. Two main factors, that are
economic anxiety and cultural backlash, have been discussed in detail. Chapter 4 establishes a
causal relationship between neo-liberalism and the rise of far-right in the USA. The time period of
President Trump has been focused mainly. The last chapter consists of conclusion in which a
summary of the whole thesis has been presented.

8
 1) Research Objectives:
I. To analyze the rise of the far-right in the USA.
II. To trace out the history and basic tenets of Ne-liberalism.
III. To establish the causal relation between neo-liberalism and the rise of the far-right in
the USA.
IV. To shed light on the manifestations of the rise of the Far-right in the USA.

2) Research Questions:
Following are the main research questions which this thesis addresses.
1. What are the reasons behind the rise of far-right populism in the USA?
2. How has neo-liberalism contributed to the rise of the far-right in the USA?
3. Has far-right any real solution to the problems engendered by Neo-liberalism?
3) Rationale:

The rationale behind choosing this topic is the increasing sway of the far-right
politics all over the world, which has made it one of the most important issues of the
contemporary times. With the election of Trump as the US President in 2016, the scholars
and academics have accelerated their efforts to explain the possible reasons behind the
increasing sway of far-right politics in the world. This thesis is, thus, relevant to the
contemporary political landscape. The thesis has focused on the USA as a case study. The
reasons is that the USA is the proponent of neo-liberalism and the rise of far-right in the
USA makes it a pertinent case study to analyze the relationship between the two.

4) Research Methodology:

The main aim of research is to analyze the existing knowledge and find some gaps
which can be fulfilled by analyzing the problem from different aspects. It is a systematic
study which is done to analyze the existing knowledge in order to reach new conclusions
or validate the already existing one. Broadly, there are two major research methodologies.
Quantitative research includes numbers and graphs. This is done mainly to validate

9
 assumptions. On the other hand, qualitative research is done mainly to get an in-depth
understanding of a concept or a problem. This research is done to better understand
concepts and problems and establish a causal relationship between different concepts.1
This thesis follows the qualitative approach. It aims at analyzing qualitatively the existing
knowledge on the rise of far-right in the USA. By thoroughly analyzing the available data,
the thesis aims at getting an in-depth insight into the relationship between neo-liberalism
and the rise of far-right in the USA. Within the qualitative research methodology, the thesis
uses methodology

a. Descriptive and Analytical study.

5) Data Collection Method:

Qualitative and quantitative research methodologies apply different data collection

methods.2 As this thesis uses qualitative approach, it has used secondary data collection
method in order to undertake the research. Secondary data collection method has been
employed in order to get a deeper insight into the available scholarly books and journal
articles. The aim is to get an in-depth understanding of the questions at hand. In addition
to scholarly books and journal articles, this work has also used many online web sources.

6) Scheme of Study.
1. Chapter1: Introduction

The first chapter of the thesis covers the introduction and literature review. In
the introduction, a brief overview of the whole work has been given. In addition, the
introduction also includes the rationale behind choosing the topic. Moreover, it also
deals with research objectives and research questions. Research methodology and data
collection methods have also been discussed in the introduction.

1 Raimo Streefkerk, “Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research, Scribber,

https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/qualitativequantitativeresearch/#:~:text=Quantitative%20research%20de
als%20with%20numbers%20and%20statistics%2C%20while%20qualitative%20research,ideas%20and%20experien
ces%20in%20depth. ( Accessed: February 21, 2021)
2 Unknown, “Library Research Guide for the History of Science: Introduction”, Harvard Library, (Streefkerk

2019)https://guides.library.harvard.edu/HistSciInfo/secondary#:~:text=Secondary%20sources%20were%20created
%20by,interprets%20and%20analyzes%20primary%20 (Unknown n.d.)sources. ( Accessed: February 21, 2021)

10
 2. Chapter2: Literature Review and Theoretical Framework

The second chapter consists of literature review and theoretical framework.

After shedding light on the scholarly works pertinent to the thesis, the main tenets of
neo-liberalism including privatization, liberalization, limited government and
deregulations have been analyzed.

3. Chapter 3: History of Neo-Liberalism and the Resurgence of Far-

Right.

The third chapter gives a brief overview of the history of neo-liberalism. It also
deals with the increasing sway of far-right all over the world. This chapter mainly
focuses on the two dominant reasons behind the rise of Far-right, i.e. Economic Anxiety
and cultural backlash. It also gives a brief account of countries where far-right is
presently the dominant ideology.

4. Chapter 4: The Rise of Far-Right in the US

The fourth chapter tries to find out the relationship between neo-liberalism and
the far-right rise in the USA. The part explains how different tenets of neo-liberalism
have contributed to the rise of xenophobic, nativist and exclusivist Donald Trump in
the USA. In addition, it tries to analyze how Trump exploited the masses suffering from
the ramifications of neo-liberalism and used populism’s techniques to garner support
and assume the saddle of power. The chapter mainly argues that Trump did not have
any practical solution. Rather, he came to power by branding the immigrants, people
of color and Muslims as “others”.

11
Chapter 2: Literature Review and Theoretical Framework

Literature Review:

Literature review is done in order to search out for the existing scholarly work about the
question under study. This thesis does the literature review of the most relevant books, journal
articles, and online web material available on the question under discussion in this thesis. The
literature review has been done thematically: the books having relevant material on the theoretical
framework, i.e. neo-liberalism and far-right have been discussed first. Then, the books and journal
articles related to the linkage between neo-liberalism and the rise of far-right in the USA have been
discussed.

Manfred B. Steger, Ravi K.Roy in their book “Neo-liberalism: A Very Short Introduction”
by the authors have endeavored to trace out the earliest roots of neo-liberalism. According to the
book, neo-liberalism as a concept was coined by Friedberg School Classical liberals. Among the
famous names were David Ricardo and Adam Smith. They both preached the virtues of free-
market. David Ricardo has propounded that governments should have limited interference in the
markets. Moreover, he maintained that the invisible hand of the market should reign. These ideas
shattered the earlier mercantilism. The book has also considered the work of John Locke. His
emphasis on life, liberty and property strengthened the idea that the only legitimate form of
government was the limited government. For Locke, the chief task of the state should be to protect
the individual rights and property. The book has drawn three classifications: Classical liberals who
consider that the state should have the role of “night watchman”; Keynes model of economics
which maintains that the government should have more role than just protecting the right and
properties of people. In contrast with these two, the book comes up with Marxism which maintains
that capitalism is doomed. However, these dimensions have been further analyzed in the
subsequent scholarly works. 3

In the book “Masters of the Universe: Hayek, Friedman and the Birth of Neoliberal
Politics” Daniel Stedman Jones, the author has shed light on the earliest proponents and authorities
on neo-liberalism. According to him, the neo-liberal ideas began to develop after the world war

3Manfred B. Steger, Ravi K.Roy, Neo-liberalism: A Very Short Introduction, ( New York: Oxford University Press,
2010)

12
second. Neo-liberal ideas were in full swing at the time of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.
Daniel has divided the rise of neo-liberalism into three phases. The first phase began from 1920
and ended in 1950. The second phase of neo-liberal ascendency lasted till 1980. The third phase
started after 1980 when the neo-liberal ideas were adopted by the global governance institutions.
These economic institutions spread these ideas all around the world in the form of structural
adjustment programs. The writer has also shed light on the ‘Washington Consensus’. It was
developed by John Williamson. Washington Consensus mainly revolves around the following
ideas: Tax Reforms, Deregulation, Privatization, strong property rights and trade liberalization.
Andrew Heywood has explained these concepts in his book, which is discussed in the following
paragraph.4

Andrew Heywood in his book Global Politics has explained neo-liberalism in the chapter
‘Economy in the Global Age’. He has not only explained the basic pillars of neo-liberalism but
also how these pillars have created economic and social problems. The basic tenets covered by
Andrew Heywood include market fundamentalism, privatization, deregulation and minimum
social spending by governments. He has also explained chronologically the rise of neo-liberalism
while elucidating the contributions made by Friedrich Hyke and Milton Friedman. After explaining
the concepts, he delves into how neo-liberal order has created the crises of modern times. The neo-
liberal policies have created resentment among the masses. The reason is that the fundamental
pillars of neo-liberalism solely focus on capital accumulation. Trade liberalization, privatization
and deregulation make the markets free while depriving people of access to fundamental services.
Heywood has also briefly explained the rise of neo-liberal globalization. In addition, he has
provided a critical account of the 2008’s financial crisis.5

David Harvey, a British-born Marxist, in his book “A Brief History of Neo-liberalism” has
taken a critical account of neo-liberalism in his book. He has criticized neo-liberalism by
maintaining that neo-liberalism developed at the expense of the poor and working classes. Since
the rise of neo-liberalism, inequality has increased manifold. The wealth has been re-distributed
but in an upward fashion. This has furthered the interests of the wealthy few at the expense of the
poor many. David Harvey has maintained that the only aim of neo-liberalism is to strengthen the

4 Daniel Stedman Jones, Masters of the Universe: Hayek, Friedman and the Birth of Neoliberal Politics, (New
Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2012)
5
Andrew Heywood, Global Politics, (Palgrave Macmillan, 2011)

13
power of the elite. While focusing on the USA, David Harvey criticizes neo-liberalism because it
has strengthened the elites, which has unleashed massive social inequality. For Harvey, the idea
of freedom associated with neo-liberalism is nothing but a farce. In fact, Neo-liberalism has created
serious threats for liberal democracy. Being a Marxist, David Harvey advocates for a system of
social equality and justice not only in political sphere but also in the economic one. 6

Cas Mudde, a Dutch political scientist and an authority on far-right and populism, in his
book “The Far-Right Today” has analyzed the rise of far-right populism in the USA and Europe.
For Mudde, the rise of Podemos in Spain, Five Star Movement in Italy, and the election of Donald
Trump in the USA are among the manifestations of the rise of populism. He has defined far-right
populism as an ideology supporting nativism, i.e. xenophobic nationalism, authoritarianism and
anti-esteblishmentism. Cas Mudde has also differentiated between the far-right populism and far-
left populism. Populists divide the society into two antagonistic groups. On the one hand, there are
the ‘pure ordinary people’. On the other hand, there are ‘the elite’. Populists consider these elite
as the people who are behind the problems prevailing in their respective countries. However, left
and right wing populists differ from each other in their inclusion of the group of people in the
category of elites. Cas Mudde has differentiated between the two in detail in his other book which
is reviewed in the next paragraph. 7

Cas Mudde in his book “Populism: A Very Short Introduction” has tried to unearth the
complexities and ambiguities related to the term ‘populism’. His main argument is that populism
is not clearly an ideology. Rather, it is thin-centered political technique to accrue political support
and reach the echelons of power. Populism needs a host ideology. That host ideology can either
be provided by political right in the form of nationalism or by political left in the form of socialism.
The main difference between far-right and left populism is that the far-right label the immigrants,
refugees, and racial minorities as the ‘other’, and far-left populists consider the economic elite as
the ‘other’. The far-right populists blame the immigrants and refugees for the job losses in the
USA and Europe. This is where neo-liberalism’s main tenets of openness, trade liberalization and
privatization come into focus. The populists on the left maintain that the economic elite has

6
David Harvey, A Brief History of Neo-liberalism,(New York: Oxford University Press, 2005)
7 Cas Mudde, The Far-right Today, (Polity, 2019)

14
dismantled the welfare-state concept in Europe and the USA. Resultantly, economic and social
inequality has increased. 8

Enzovo Travesto in his book “New Faces of Fascism: Populism and the Far-Right” has
focused on the resurgence of authoritarianism in different parts of the world. By using history of
inter-war Europe as an overarching theme, Travesto maintains that contemporary populism and
Fra-right are the manifestations of post-fascism. However, he asserts that the Far-right of today is
not identical with the fascism of inter-war period. Rather, it has evolved. That is why, he uses the
term ‘post-fascism’ to differentiate contemporary far-right. However, his use of the term is
ambiguous and the thesis has focused mainly on that part of the book where Travesto has linked
the rise of the Far-right with neo-liberalism.9

Jacob C Miller in his book “Spectacle and Trumpism: An Embodied Assemblage

Approach” has propounded that the consumer culture, deeply entrenched in the USA, has provided
a fertile ground for the Far-right politics of Donald Trump to thrive. Capitalism has made consumer
culture dominant in the USA. The author has focused on how the big money facilitated Donald
Trump in advancing his delusionary politics. Being a thriving capitalist, Trump was easily able to
disseminate his nativist, anti-elitist racist ideas by manipulating different media sources. The
author maintains that Trump’s corporate culture inspired tactics greatly helped in garnering
support from the masses who were already deeply entrenched in the yoke of consumer culture.
The book has presented a fresh insight into the rise of the Far-right by focusing on the consumer
culture.10

T.J. Coles in his book “Trump Inc: How Big Business and Neo-liberalism Empower
Populism and the Far-right” has tried to untangle the complexities and ambiguities revolving
around the terms like populism, far-right and neo-liberalism. His work is of great use because he
has focused on the rise of Trump in the USA. He has mainly tried to prove in his book that far-
right populists like Trump use the economic anxiety caused by neo-liberalism to get political
support. After shedding light on the grim economic and political consequences of neo-liberalism,
Coles asserts that Trump has further advanced neo-liberal agenda despite criticizing it. Far-right

8
Cas Mudde, Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser. Populism: A Very Short Introduction,(New York: Oxford University
Press,2017)
9 Enzovo Travesto, New Faces of Fascism: Populism and the Far-Right, (London: Verso, 2019)
10 Jacob C Miller, Spectacle and Trumpism: An Embodied Assemblage Approach, ( Policy Press, 2020)

15
only creates a binary of us vs. them. By criticizing “them” who are mostly Muslims, people of
color, immigrants or ethnic minorities, the far-right assumes political power. The author has also
explained how far-right populists use half-truths and over-simplifications as the tools to get support
on the internet and social media. Thus, the politics of the far-right is only based on deception. In
the end, the far-right itself becomes supporter of neo-liberalism.11

In addition to the above discussed scholarly books, the thesis has also used journal articles
and online web sources to corroborate the research. Most important of them include William
Davies “Neo-liberalism: A Bibliographic Review”, Stephanie Lee Mudge’s “What is Neo-
liberalism?” published in socioeconomic review, George Monbiot’s “Neo-Liberalism-the ideology
at the root of all our problems” published in The Guardian etc. These online sources mainly deal
with the conceptualization of neo-liberalism. In addition, the following have been accessed in
order to thoroughly understand the relationship between neo-liberalism and the rise of the far-
right: “America’s Next Authoritarian Will Be Much More Competent” by Zeynep Tufekci; “Is
Outsourcing a problem, or is it Good For America” published by the University of New Mexico;
“Trump has Spread More Hatred of Immigrants than any other American” by Tyler Anbinder
published in The Washington Post; “Lies About Migrants and the Rise of Extreme Right” by
Beverly Crawford published by Berkeley Blog etc. In all of the above mentioned online sources,
the authors have tried to unearth the complexities involved in the relationship between neo-
liberalism and the far-right. They have tried to weigh whether neo-liberalism has been beneficial
for the USA or the other way around. Moreover, they have also tried to disclose the tactics used
by the far-right including misinformation and hate-mongering, which have helped them greatly to
rise to the saddle of power.

Theoretical Framework:

Basic Tenets of Neoliberalism:

Neoliberalism is an updated version of classical liberalism with the sheer belief that market
operates best if left alone. The central belief of neoliberal economy is ‘market fundamentalism’

11
T.J. Coles, Trump Inc: How Big Business and Neo-liberalism Empower Populism and the Far-right, (Clairview
Books: 2017)

16
 12
which means market: good, state: bad. Neoliberalism is a set of reforms oriented to establish
unfettered competition among the market forces by getting the state out of the business. All the
principles of neoliberalism largely revolves around minimizing the government’s involvement in
the market affairs.13 The set of reforms consists of the following components.

Market Fundamentalism:
Neoliberalism revolves around the principle of market fundamentalism. This stands for the
unchallenged and uninterrupted operations of the markets. When the markets are left alone and
operate on their own, they could solve economic and social problems. The chief provision of
market fundamentalism is the paramount importance of markets. For any economic as well as
social problem, free market would act as a panacea. Market fundamentalism discredits progressive
taxation, disallow states to regulate the markets, and inhibits the governments to run social
programs. The underlying belief of market fundamentalism is that the above-mentioned policies
will spin the wheel of economy fast and the trickle-down effects of the wealth creation would be
distributed to everyone.14

Privatization:
One of the major assumptions of neoliberalism is that the state-owned businesses and assets
perform minimally due to their complex structures, political interference and the least dynamism.
Along with the inefficient operations, public-owned enterprises reduce the competition in the
market. So, to ensure efficiency privatization is undertaken. Privatization is the transfer of state-
owned means of production, business or assets to the private sector. In simplest way, it is the
transfer or selling of the state-owned public enterprises to the private sector. Privatization can also
refer to the changing role of the state from controlling the market to creating conducive conditions
for the markets to operate freely. 15 There are multiple factors that have contributed to privatization
that includes the cost of services, rapid technological innovation, and the constant burden on the

12
Andrew Heywood, Global Politics (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011), 84.
13
Ibid, 86.
14
Ibid, 90.
15
Ivy Wigmore, “Privatization”, whatis.techtarget. August 2013,
https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/privatization. (Accessed February 09, 2021).

17
government exchequer. The purpose of privatization is to enhance the efficiency of the operations
as well as reducing the services cost. It is one of the core principles of the neoliberal policies. 16

Deregulation:
The other fundamental principle of neoliberalism is deregulation. According to the neoliberal
philosophy, the state’s imposed regulations on the markets hinder the market that in turns affects
the economic growth. Through the lessened government control and regulations, businesses can
be promoted and the wheel of the economy could run faster. Deregulation is the removal of the
government’s regulations and restrictions from particular industries. It allows the businesses to
operate in free and unrestricted environment. The government restrictions are lifted or minimized
to encourage more businesses that increase the competition in the market. The increased
competition contributes to innovations, and market growth. The purpose of deregulation is to
provide an environment where the businesses can be flourished with the least intervention from
the government. Along with this deregulation is also done to remove the political interference in
the operations of the market.17

Liberalization:
Economic liberalization has played central role in the integration of the world economy.
Liberalization stands for the reduction of state’s restrictions on the international trade. Through
the international free trade agreements, the liberalization of the trade was achieved. It encourages
financial, tax, economic and industrial reforms that attract foreign direct investment in the country.
International monetary institutions like the IMF, and the World Bank have also propagated
liberalization through Structural adjustment reforms in the developing world. 18 It has contributed
to the establishment of a globalized economy with least trade barriers. Sometimes, liberalization
and deregulation are used interchangeably but both are distinct in application. Deregulation
minimizes restrictions on particular industries while liberalization reduce international trade

16
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopedia. "Privatization." Encyclopedia Britannica, October 3, 2018.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/privatization. (Accessed February 09, 2021)
17
Buren, H. J. Van. "Deregulation." Encyclopedia Britannica, August 5, 2019.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/deregulation. (Accessed February 09, 2021)
18
Smith, N. , "Liberalization." Encyclopedia Britannica, August 1, 2013.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/liberalization. (Accessed February 09, 2021)

18
barriers. But, both work coherently to exterminate the government intervention in the market
affairs.

Tax cuts:
One of the central provisions in the neoliberal economic model is tax cuts. The tax cuts are the
changes in the tax laws that reduce the taxes on the private corporations. The underlying reason of
the tax cuts is the belief that it encourages the investors to invest their money freely that generates
economic activity. According to Economist Arthur Laffer, the tax cuts have a great impact on the
economy. The tax cuts in the long run helps the government to collect more taxes as it expands the
business and economic activity in the markets. The tax cuts could be of many types. They range
from the income tax cuts to the corporate, business, inheritance and capital gain tax cuts. 19

Chapter3: History of Neo-Liberalism and the Resurgence of Far-Right

History of Neo-liberalism:

The term neoliberalism has become significantly familiar since 1990s. It has been used excessively
after the collapse of the USSR in 1991 that led to the triumph of neoliberalism over the rival
ideologies. The origins of the neoliberalism can be traced back to the Great Depression.20 During
the Great Depression, in Europe and the US, anti-liberal trends were at the peak. The governments
were adopting the programs that were illiberal in nature. States were imposing protectionist
measures and presenting welfare programs. In the US, President Franklin D. Roosevelt enacted
the New Deal that expanded the role of government dramatically. 21 Furthermore, the work of John
Maynard Keynes also advocated the greater government’s involvement in the economy. The
Keynesian economic model holds the belief of the government’s increased intervention in the
economy and furthers that the government was more than just ‘Night Watchman’. 22 The
government should take part in the public sector and through its spending the economic activity
would be generated and unemployment could be reduced. So, these developments bothered the

19
Kimberly Amadeo, “Tax cuts, types and how they work” thebalance. 16 February 2021.
https://www.thebalance.com/tax-cuts-definition-types-and-how-they-work-3306328. (Accessed February 20, 2021)
20
William Davies, “Neoliberalism: a bibliographic Review”, theory, culture and society 31, 7/8. (2014): 311
21
Davies, , “Neoliberalism: a bibliographic Review” 312
22
Daniel Stedman Jones, Hayek and Friedman, and the Birth of Neoliberal Politics, (New Jersey: Princeton
University Press, 2012), 15.

19
liberal thinkers who presented their work to reinstate the liberal principle in its essence. Ludwig
von Mises was one of the loudest exponents of neoliberalism. He advocated laissez-faire market
economies and criticized the interventionist policies of John Maynard Keynes. He along with
Friedrich Hayek contributed to the reinstatement of the classical liberalism’s principle of laissez-
faire. In 1944, Hayek published his bestseller The Road to Serfdom. Hayek in his book argued that
the planned economy and the governments increasing involvement would crush the individualism
and the state would become totalitarian in nature. 23 To spread his idea, he established the Mont
Pelerin Society. This society was supported and financed by the wealthy people. In addition to
this, multiple academies, think tanks and centers were developed to refine the ideology and spread
it in transatlantic. But the ideology could not make its place in the US politics till 1970s. After the
world war two, Keynesian economic system was in place with the governments imposing high
taxes, social spending and developing public services. From 1970’s and onwards, the Keynesian
policies faced huge crisis and the model fell apart. The falling of the Keynesian policies paved the
way for the incorporation of the neoliberal ideas. On this development Milton Friedman who was
the champion of the neoliberalism remarked, “When the time came that you had to change, there
was an alternative ready there to be picked up.” 24After the collapse of Keynesian economic
policies, the Jimmy Carter’s administration adopted elements of neoliberalism. The neoliberal
ideas of deregulation, privatization, tax cuts, reduced public welfare initiatives, and job
outsourcing were fully implemented by Ronald Reagan in the US and Margret Thatcher in
England. From there the model exported to other states and the international financial institutions
helped the instatement of neoliberal ideas in developing countries.

Resurgence of Far-right:

Far-Right:
Far-right also referred as extreme right wing is "group of people or politicians who hold
extreme nationalist, xenophobic, racist, religious fundamentalist, or other reactionary views." 25 Far

23
Andrew Heywood, Global Politics (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011), 90.
24George Monbiot, “Neoliberalism – the ideology at the root of all our problems” theguardian. April 15, 2016,
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/apr/15/neoliberalism-ideology-problem-george-monbiot. (Accessed
February 09, 2021)

25
Jens Rydgren, ed., the Radical Right (New York: Oxford University Press, 2018). 24.

20
right ideology is generally attached with anti-globalization, neo-nationalisms, nativism, welfare
chauvinism, and protectionism approach. 26 These groups see immigrants as the major reason for
their economic, political and social deprivation. They create strong “Us” vs. “them” divide that
translates into discrimination against “them”. 27

The Resurgence of Far-right

Cass Mudde, in his book, “The far-right today”, has presented two major causes of the rise of far-
right in the contemporary world: economic anxiety and cultural backlash. Both these factors are
related with neoliberalism.28

Economic Anxiety:
The grand experiment of neoliberalism began in 1970s and accelerated during 1990s. The
neoliberal reforms agenda was based on the idea that the deregulated, unfettered free markets
would bring prosperity for all through the trickle-down economy. Trickle down economy is that if
the upper half makes progress, then its results would be tricked down to the lower half.
Furthermore, the principles of privatization, deregulation, and globalization would bring fruits for
all and the shared prosperity would be the ultimate outcome of neoliberalism. 29 After half a century
of the experiment began, the verdict is in front of all. Instead of bringing prosperity for all,
neoliberalism has brought inequality, polarization, deindustrialization, and political unrest
throughout the world.30 People have lost jobs, health care is out of reach, education has become
elite’s right only and the standard of living are reducing with every coming year. Going further,
the neoliberal policies have created unprecedented inequality in the world with the top one percent
having 47% of the world’s wealth. 31 On the contrary, the wages of the workers have been stagnant
for last three decades. Another highly applauded principle of neoliberalism is the market

26
Ibid, 25.
27
Richard W. Coughlin, Review of Us vs. them: The failure of globalism by Ian Bremmer, Portfolio,
2018.
28
Cas Muddle, The Far Right Today, (Polity, 2019).
29
Joseph E.Stiglitz, “Three decades of neoliberal policies have decimated the middle class, our economy, and our
democracy”, marketwatch. 13 May 2019. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/three-decades-of-neoliberal-policies-
have-decimated-the-middle-class-our-economy-and-our-democracy-2019-05-13. (Accessed February 20, 2021).
30
Lars Cornelissen, “the new far right is not a reaction to neoliberalism, but its offspring. Opendemocracy. 16 July
2019. https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/can-europe-make-it/the-new-right-is-not-a-reaction-to-neoliberalism-but-
its-offspring/. (Accessed February 25, 2021).
31
oxfam

21
competition that keeps check on the market. In reality the neoliberal policies have decreased the
market competition and increased the monopoly that resulted in the concentration of economic
power.32 These monopolies, then, bring higher prices for the consumers and increase inequality. 33
So, all these economic deprivation attracts the far-right politics. The far-right parties exploit the
situation to spread their xenophobic, nationalists and exclusive agenda. The recent conservative
backlash recently taking place in Europe as well as in other parts of the world is associated with
the failure of neoliberal policies. 34 These developments have empowered the already nationalist,
xenophobic, religious fundamentalist, supremacist, racist, and reactionary far-right throughout the
globe.

Cultural Backlash:
Another most important factor for far-right resurgence is the cultural backlash that is taking place
throughout the globe. The right wing leaders are spreading hatred against the immigrants and
refugees creating ‘US’ vs. “Them’ dichotomy.35 The inequality that has been brought due to
neoliberal ideology is often linked with immigrants. These immigrants are described as ‘others’
that have threatened their indigenous cultural values and posing a great threat to their society. With
its nationalist appeal, the far right supports propagate anti-refugees sentiments that often translate
into violence and discrimination against the refugees.36 Anti-immigrants see the refugees as an
extra burden on their country who are vying for the jobs they deserve and thriving on their tax
money. Furthermore, the far-right supporters follow the blood-and-soil ideology that calls for an
ethno-national state. The white supremacists are the reflection of the blood-and-soil ideology as
they consider them the true sons of soil and want to purify their lands from the immigrants. They
aspire to establish ethnically homogenous, culturally associated and economically prosperous

32
Ganesh Sitaraman, “the collapse of neoliberalism”. Newrepublic. 23 December 2019.
https://newrepublic.com/article/155970/collapse-neoliberalism. (Accessed February 25, 2021).
33
Ganesh Sitaraman, “the collapse of neoliberalism”. Newrepublic. 23 December 2019.
https://newrepublic.com/article/155970/collapse-neoliberalism. (Accessed March 03, 2021).
34
Robert Kuttner, “Neoliberalism: political success and economic failure”. Prospect. 25 June 2019.
https://prospect.org/economy/neoliberalism-political-success-economic-failure/ . (Accessed March 03, 2021).
35
Matthijs Rooduijn, ”Immigration attitudes have barely changed- so why is far right on rise”. Theguardian. (02
March 2020. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/02/immigration-attitudes-have-barely-changed-why-far-
right-on-rise. (Accessed March 05, 2021).
36
Nicola Pocock, Clara Clan, “Refugees, racism and xenophobia: what works to reduce discrimination”. Ourworld.
20 June 2018. https://ourworld.unu.edu/en/refugees-racism-and-xenophobia-what-works-to-reduce-discrimination.
(Accessed March 09, 2021).

22
state. In 2011 a Norwegian far-right supporter named Anders Behring Breivik attacked Oslo and
Utoya Island. In his manifesto explained the dire need of defending Europe from the Muslim
domination and multiculturalism. 37 On the same line the mass persecution of the Black people
taken place in the United States in 2015 where the attacker Dylan Roof espoused the similar
aspirations of reviving the lost glory of white people.38 The most recent event in this regard has
been the brutal killing of 51 Muslims in Christchurch mosque. The Christchurch shooter has also
uploaded his manifesto in which he claimed Muslims and other minorities as a great threat to
whites. So, this shows how the cultural backlash contributes to resurgence of far right. Exploiting
these anti-immigrant sentiments of the people, the far-right politicians gain mass support, win the
electoral process and enter in parliament. The United Kingdom is the most pertinent example in
this regard where the people first voted for Brexit, then elected Boris Johnson who is renowned
for his far-right politics.

Religious antagonism:
Along with anti-immigrant sentiments, the religious antagonism is one of the most important
aspect of far-right politics. This trend has been surging around the world. The world is witnessing
a surge in the terrorist attacks by the far-right extremists and non-Islamist militants. The most
pertinent case in this regard is the rise of Hindutva in India under the leadership of Narendra Modi.
These violent attacks perpetrated by the Hindu supremacists have often been overlooked by the
world. Pursuing their Hindu nationalist agenda, the far-right adherents are threatening the
minorities in every corner of the country. Backed by the Hindu nationalist government, they are
operating with impunity in India and terrorizing the minorities especially Muslims. Mainly the
attacks have been surged in India after Narendra Modi has held power since 2014. The driving
force behind these terrorist and extremist attacks is Hindutva. The ideology calls India “the holy
land belongs only to the Hindus.”39 Muslims, Christians or any others minorities have no place in
this land. They can live in this state only if they are embraced Hinduism, otherwise the only

37
Heather Ashby, “Far-right extremism is a global problem”. Foreignpolicy. 15 January 2021.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/01/15/far-right-extremism-global-problem-worldwide-solutions/. (Accessed March
09, 2021).
38
https://www.vox.com/identities/2019/3/15/18267163/new-zealand-shooting-christchurch-white-nationalism-
racism-language
39
Lindsey Maizland, “India’s Muslims: an increasingly marginalized Population”, CFR, 20 August 2020,
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/india-muslims-marginalized-population-bjp-modi (accessed March 09, 2021)

23
solution is to wipe them from the country by any means. So, this clearly shows how neoliberalism
led cultural backlash contributes for the rise of far-right around the globe.

Chapter 4: Rise of Far-Right in the USA

Rise of Far Right in USA: Tracing Causality in Neo-Liberalism.

The passing decade was a period in international politics where the masters of delusionary politics
swept across the globe not barring even the prideful democracy like USA. The leaders assuming
the face of rebels emerged and captured the political scene by promising a transformation in
disproportionate status quo. Much celebrated economic and political neo-liberal arrangement was
the seductive crop used and demonized by the leaders like Donald Trump to materialize an
expedient upward slide on the power saddle.40Here is a brief account demonstrating that how
neoliberalism provided breathing and living space to Far Right Demagogues in USA.

Ever since 1980s, political power traversed back and forth among Democrats and Republicans but
their core economic orientation remained similar. They religiously followed the doctrine of free
market economy. This led to the overall expansion of US Economy but the consequent growth
cannot put the mass scale challenges out of question. Ordinary Americans have continuously felt
the heat of neoliberal financial strains. The rise of far right in different manifestations is an obvious
outcome of that resentment. 41 Various statistics and reports suggest that USA consolidated massive
incline in terms of GDP from the period between 1970 and 2016 but American Society in general
suffered from extreme levels of structural inequality which primarily resulted from the application
of neo-liberal economic policies. U.S. Consensus Bureau in 2017 revealed that economic growth
was benefitting a small top brass in the USA and elongating the wealth difference between
different classes in the country. Over and above, the cut backs on social spheres and austerity
measures further strip survival pathways for masses and cultivate a welcoming environment for
far right and other extreme nationalist voices. This correlation between neoliberalism and
exploitation of masses is apparent from the very fact that neoliberal order depends on

40
Zeynep Tufekci,” America’s Next Authoritarian Will be Much More Competent”, The Atlantic, November 6,
2020, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/11/trump-proved-authoritarians-can-get-elected-
america/617023/, Accessed on February 17, 2021.
41
M. Chairil Akbar* Agung Yudhistira Nugroho and Ardli Johan Kusuma,” Relation Betweeen Neoliberalism and
the Rise of Right Wing Populism in United States after Donald Trump Victory”, ResearchGate. 2018.
https://doi.org/10.1166/asl.2018.11391, Accessed on 20 February 20, 2021.

24
vulnerabilities of ordinary people. Be it the necessity of cheap labour or commodification of very
identity of human beings, the corporate culture based on values of profiteering undermines worth;
the very worth of humanity. On one hand, there is an outburst of immigrants and on the other,
there is an utter involvement of exploitation. Neither the citizens nor the immigrants are served
well but the mega economic giants and corporations.42 Adding to that, the idea of privatization
coupled with minimum governmental interference remains at the heart of neoliberalism. However,
the idea continues to receive excessive and successive resentment from masses. In a scenario where
the unemployment combined with underemployment rate touches proximately the mark of 20%,
any bid to outsource local companies to foreigners remains questionable act in the American Eye.
Whatsoever, neoliberals seem hardly unsettled with the idea. For them, outsourcing brings capital
and they are content with it.43 The corporate culture does not exempt important social avenues like
education and healthcare. The famous “Student debt crisis” continues to make headlines for the
USA. About 44 million Americans make a staggering amount of somewhat around $1.6 trillion
debt. For neoliberal proponents, the debt is the access to education. For millions, it is an
unavoidable trap that sandwiches them between necessity of education and the strains of debt.
With less employment opportunities available, the chances to pay back remain less glaring. 44
Resultantly, in such an America where lower classes had developed a sense of alienation towards
the economic giants, the strings played out by Donald Trump successfully attracted the audience.
“America First” and “Making America Great Again” were just the right slogans that could stir
general imagination to turn the system around. Lost in such fabricated fervor, masses ignored the
very fact that Trump’s very own predecessor, Republicans, had failed to boost employment in the
country. His conservative stance was suddenly pervasive enough to make a white nationalist

42Katharina kesztyus, “The Contemporary Neoliberal State and Economic Violence”, E-

International Relations. May,31 2018. https://www.e-ir.info/2018/05/31/the-contemporary-
neoliberal-state-and-economic-violence/. (February 22,2021).
43 “Is Outsourcing a problem, or is it good for America?” University of New Mexico,

https://danielsethics.mgt.unm.edu/pdf/Outsourcing%20DI.pdf. (February 25, 2021).

44 Abigail Johnson Hess, “How Student debt became $1.6 trillion Crisis”, CNBC, Jun12, 2020.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/12/how-student-debt-became-a-1point6-trillion-crisis.html.
(February 28,2021).
25
xenophobic authoritarian person electable in democratic and diversified USA. Thus, his arrival on
the scene along with the public response suggest that it was all reactionary in nature. 45

Manifestations of the Rise of Far-Right in the USA:

Islamophobia:

Hardliner Donald Trump established this extreme narrative that Muslims have somehow
strong ties with terrorism all along the world. Branding Brown Muslims as terrorists and exempting
entire white race was a deliberate construct. These false constructions stand at the heart of
delusionary politics. This propaganda enjoys patronage of pre-existing false ideologies. The
intentional slangs like “All Terrorists are Muslims” have a history but arrival of Donald Trump
further centered public imagination towards a correlation between terrorism and Muslims. This
has led to spike in Islamophobia in USA. The reasons are many and various. An analysis of
Hollywood films reveals that Muslims are dominantly pictured as terrorists. Furthermore, media
coverage in the USA is highly prejudiced when it comes to terror attacks. Islam and Muslims are
somehow linked with the actions even before the facts are drilled. One example is that of Quebec
Mosque terrorist attack where Fox News correspondent immediately accused a Moroccan Muslim
as a terrorist although the later facts revealed that it was conducted by a White French-Canadian
man. Such a practice is further validated by the application of critical race theory in USA which
suggests that two similar actions are judged differently on the basis of race of the actor. 46 Donald
Trump successfully consolidated and exploited this narrative through his false and mythical
assertions; the defining features of Trumpism. This indeed jeopardized the diversity, inclusivity
and security of USA.47

Fear of Immigrants

Although few other American presidents had also denigrated the arrival of immigrants in the past
but Trump stands unprecedented in so many ways. His hatred towards immigrants showcased the

45 Derrick Jackson, “Political Realities that got Donald Trump Elected should shock us all”, The Undefeated.
November14,2016. https://theundefeated.com/features/political-realities-that-got-donald-trump-elected-should-
shock-us-into-action/. (March 1,2021).
46 Caroline Mala Corbin, “Terrorists are always Muslims But Never White: At the Intersection of Critical Race

Theory and Propaganda”, Fordham Law Review, University of Miami School of Law, (Vol.86, Issue2,2017.) p-457-
461. (February 28, 2021).
47 Ibid.P-485

26
obsession with nativism that sparked ‘Americanism’. He repeatedly held that immigrants were
responsible for crimes, their values were incompatible with American values and they are a
security risk for America. He once termed the largest chunk of immigrants, the Latinos, as
“Animals”.48 The charters like Universal Declaration of Human Right promise equal liberties when
it comes to fundamental human rights but the far-right leaders like Donald Trump seem averse to
the idea. Their politics depends on these extremist ideas for which they exploit the vulnerabilities
of the vulnerable. Carrying forward same ideology, Donald Trump pursued the building of Mexico
Wall and in the process, he compared immigrants to snakes and animals. The mindset speaks of
the Nazis Germany where Jews were attributed as dangerous animals and subsequently cleansed.
Donald Trump, in his hatred towards immigrants, filled American society with division, sparked
nationalistic tendencies and implanted the far-right narratives across American Society. 49

Far Right Behind Anti-China Narrative.

Trump’s xenophobia severed the ties between USA and China. The severity dwells not
only in the trade avenues but it became more pervasive in American society in general as well.
Studies revealed that Americans are more skeptical about the presence of Asians in their country
in general and Chinese in particular. There is also an increase in the physical attacks against the
Asian Americans in USA. Donald Trump also accused China for disseminating Covid-19 declaring
it a “Chinese Virus” which resulted in attacks on Chinese citizens in America. 50 In his four years
as President, he manufactured an environment in which anti-china narrative was a more lucrative
slogan for political bargains. Thus, his top aides advised him to accelerate the tensions by
showcasing China as a major threat to American domination and security and portraying himself
as the defender of America in the presence of dangerous others. With a few decades of strong
engagements, all of a sudden, Trump led America became more aware of the human right
violations and prevailing authoritarianism in China. Thus, US Secretary of State under Trump,
Mike Pompeo, asserted that his country’s policy to open engagement with china back in times,

48 Tyler Anbider, “Trump has spread more hatred of immigrants than any other American”, Washington Post,
November7, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/trump-has-spread-more-hatred-of-immigrants-
than-any-american-in-history/2019/11/07/7e253236-ff54-11e9-8bab-0fc209e065a8_story.html. (March 10, 2021).
49 Beverly Crawford, “Lies about Migrants and the Rise of Extreme Right”, Berkeley Blog, August 24,2019.

https://blogs.berkeley.edu/2019/08/24/lies-about-migrants-and-the-rise-of-the-extreme-right/. (March 13, 2021).

50 Seashia Vang and Erica Nguyen, “Anti-Asian Violence in USA Demands Response”, Human Rights Watch,

February 12, 2021, https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/02/12/anti-asian-violence-us-demands-response. (March 17,

2021).

27
hindered national interests and 21 st century required variance in America’s policy to respond
China. The assertions by leadership were followed by serious sanctions on Chinese Officials and
products.51 This helps far right in America. They bank on foreign hatred to advance their own
agenda. In the later end of 2020, misinformation, scapegoating and conspiracies during Covid-19
helped Trump and other far right groups to conjure up support. From denial to recognition of
Corona Virus, Trump left no stone unturned in pointing fingers towards foreigners. Immigrants in
general and Chinese in particular were considered the carriers of virus to American Territory. 52

Link between Far Right and Consumer Culture in the USA.

Far right has benefited from the consumer culture in USA. This is because the propagation of
falsehood becomes feasible in such a material culture. Donald Trump exploited this capital
surrounded culture to pave way for his nationalist politics. He took the delusional political rhetoric
to a new territory by disseminating his far-right ideals through tweets and news headlines. In a free
society where advertisements, TV Shows, social media sites and other communication sources
shape opinion under the direction of money, it gets easier for far-right ideals to become more
pervasive. In case of Trump, it is appropriate to say that a capitalist Trump forged far-right power
relation through corporatized means and tactics.

Capitalism steers unprecedented growth for individuals in no time. In the similar fashion, it
constructs personality cult of individuals with more money. Donald Trump, driven by white
supremacism, nativism, sexism, xenophobia, misogyny and other authoritarian tendencies would
have found difficult to make upward slide on such a viral pace without the miracles of capitalism.
On one end, he demonized neoliberal order and on the other, he used the very neoliberal tactics to
strengthen hand on power. 53 Far right regimes are the regimes of publicity. Marketing model
strikes on the visceral level of the masses by crafting a space for things by making them
fashionable. Advertisement companies use rebellious keynotes on commercial products to engage

51 Edward Wong and Steven Lee Myers, “Officials Push US-China Relations to the Point of NO Return”, The New
York Times, July25, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/25/world/asia/us-china-trump-xi.html. (March 20,
2021).
52 Jason Wilson, “Disinformation and Blame: How America’s Far Right is Capitalizing on Corona Virus”, The

Guardian, March19, 2020. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/19/america-far-right-coronavirus-

outbreak-trump-alex-jones. (March 23, 2021).
53 Jacob C. Miller, Spectacle and Trumpism: An Embodied Assemblage Approach (Bristol: Bristol University Press,

2020). P: 1-24.

28
more and more consumer triggering and targeting their psyche. Far right leaders replicate similar
model in proliferating their ideals. This is a very powerful technique. The non-conformism with
established paradigm engineers such social behaviors where individuals are duped as if they are
doing something very powerful. Once such a trap is casted, it becomes easy for far right to predict
social behaviors more consistently and mold them into desired contour. As capitalists engender
affective and emotional attachment with commodity, far right establishes similar connection
between people and their ideals. The follower of the same track, Donald Trump exploited masses
through the very ideals and drew power from racism, sexism, nationalism and other authoritarian
tendencies in a capital-obsessed society. Thus, there are deeper connections between far right and
capitalism.54 Commodities, technologies and marketing formulate an assemblage that determines
political subjectivity. Under the excesses of neoliberal order, the political subjectivity depends less
on conscious thinking and more on habitual feelings. Far right determine these habitual feelings
by controlling the behaviors in masses. But the working of far right in today’s so called liberal
societies is distinct to familiar style of far-right politics. In the today’s era of post-truth society, the
politics of the far right can be termed as ‘inverted totalitarianism’ and these totalitarians like
Donald Trump have made it to power successfully due to the culture cultivated by capitalism over
the years.55

White Nationalism in the USA: Trumpism

‘Islamist terrorism’ is highly over emphasized term when compared with ground realities in the
USA. In fact, white nationalist far-right extremists have contributed thrice in terrorism related
activities when compared to Islamist terrorism. According to a 2019 study conducted by Anti-
Defamation League (ADL), far right has been responsible for around 73% of terrorist activities on
American soil. The presence of Donald Trump supplemented white nationalist extremism. A
suspected terrorist in El Paso claimed that he was inspired by Trump’s remarks threatening of a
possible Hispanic invasion of Texas. Americans hate the term invasion but Donald Trump
successively threatened Americans of foreign invasions that fueled the extremism in USA. Donald
Trump not only fueled nationalist sentiments in White Americans but also came up for saving
them in case of white-nationalist terrorism. He went into a denial phase when asked about the

54 Ibid. 25-50.
55 Ibid. 103-110.

29
presence of White Nationalist Extremism. Even the officials of state agencies under Trump
hesitated to mention ‘white nationalist extremism’. The language matters. When the leaders lack
fuel to call out evil, the chances to wipe it out deem quite bleak. 56

The Trump’s presidency transformed the political axis in USA and around the world. The
Americans began to feel an unreal world before them right from the election results. Most of the
reports predicted 80 percent chances of Hilary Clinton’s victory but the reality proved averse to
predictions. The political pundits and media houses failed in gauging the extent to which the
conservative voices had penetrated into American society. The society had been hypnotized by the
populist slogans of a demagogue that got transformed into election victory. During the campaign,
the publications including New York Times, Washington Post and The Nation continuously
compared Donald Trump to the fascist Mussolini and doubted the acceptance of such a candidate
in a more liberal and open USA. However, Trump continued his reliance over fierce narrative. He
presented himself as a strict man of actions; his remarks were occasionally replete with offensive
sexism; his speech often vulgar and outrageous; accelerated xenophobic narrative; paid tribute to
police officer who killed black American and declared Barack Obama as a un-real American.
Furthermore, he demonized neo-liberal order and expounded voraciously the prevailing social
inequalities in USA. To paint himself different from other contemporaries, he maintained his harsh
personality on TV shows and debates. He openly threatened Hillary Clinton for sending her to jail
once he gets elected. The rebellious picture that he constructed for himself coupled with the
stardom helped him to hypnotize the masses.

All this struggle was delusional and hypocrite as Trump himself was the member of American
elites. Following the lack of clarity in his vision, many of the Republicans had to maintain a
distance from his candidacy. Trump engendered ‘identity crises’ even within the Republican Party
shaking their historical ideology. The paradox is explicit from the fact that he wanted an end the
Free Trade Treaty with Mexico and imposition of tariffs in trade with China and Europe and on
the other hand, he wanted radical reduction in taxes on mega economic giants and privatize social
services. Whatsoever, despite of his uncontrolled and unpredictable personality, he was still able
to divide the opinions and America benefit out of it. He lost 60% of the seats in cities and cultivated

56Vera Bergengruen and W.J Hennigan, “We Are Being Eaten from Within: Why America is Losing the Battle
against White Nationalist Terrorism”, Time, August 8, 2019, https://time.com/5647304/white-nationalist-
terrorism-united-states/, (March 25, 2021).

30
maximum support out of rural America. This is indicative to the fact that his stance regarding the
social inequality, his stanch support for white nationalism and his far right narrative was more
penetrative in regions with more consolidated population of white Americans. In Cities, where
there was more diversity, his narrative was less penetrative. Having delineated that, it is important
to notice that his arrival was never an isolated event. It was part of the general tendency to
challenge the status quo that unleashes the extent of Far Right in USA. 57

Retreat from Globalized Thinking: An Indicator of the Rise of Far-Right

Nationalism in the USA.

Paris Climate Agreement

Paris Climate Accord was a historical achievement of United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change as all the stakeholders were ready to give up their smaller interests for the sake of
a collective bigger interest. America, being the super power of the world, was on the leading
position. Ex-President of The United States of America, Mr. Obama out forward the proposal of
participation and joined the accord in September 2016. But then came US presidential Elections
2016 and Mr. Donald Trump became the President of The United States. Paris Climate Accord fell
prey to “America First” policy of Donald Trump and he said that climate change is just a deception
created by China and that it has benefited all other than America. Thus, America stepped back
from this Agreement due to Trump’s nationalist stance. 58

Shrinking Aid for the Avenues of Collective Welfare:

America has always used international organizations and institutions as the instruments of regional
penetration as well as wielding influence globally. Therefore, the showing of mistrust by USA for
these organizations is not a tiny development. The mistrust has grown to a level that USA decided
to withdraw its funding from World Health Organization (WHO) at a time when it was most
needed. In 2020, Donald Trump openly started a wrangle with World Health Organization citing
that the organization was not doing enough as in accordance with the desires of USA and thus
decided to cut its funds. This is not the only case where America took such a decision. The

57Enzo Traverso, The New Faces of Fascism Populism and The Far Right, (London: Verso Books, 2019): p.23-28.
58Cozier Muriel, “The US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement: a global perspective”, Greenhouse Gases: Science
and Technology, 7 (2017), pp.774-77.

31
Nationalistic tendency in Trump is manifested by series of other cut outs on foreign aids including
that of Pakistan.59

Brexit and American Response:

It is a writing on the wall that the Brexit will impinge the strength of the European Union.
American response on the issue has been averse to its history, how it has dealt with such issues in
the last century. When the Britain was preparing for the exit, Mr. Trump was busy somewhere
else. He made no significant intermediary efforts that could keep the alliance from perish. USA
had a strong ally in the European Union in the form of Britain. Anticipating a huge economic deal
with Britain in Post-Brexit times, Donald Trump deviated from historical outline. It prioritized
money against influence; the same money which it used willingly to gain influence ever since
World War 2. It clearly shows that the thinking in the American Foreign Policy is nearing a recoil.
At the end of World War 2, USA had 50 percent of the global economic resources under its direct
control. By envisaging a plan named after “Grand Area” the country decided to orient its foreign
policy towards gaining the international influence and supremacy. Instead of exhausting the
resources on the ambitious and utopian missions of human welfare, USA deliberately deployed
the idea of private entrepreneurship in the minds of its citizens so that no such voices could ever
rise from within and ultimately no hindrance could curtail or trap the mission of wielding global
influence. These facts can be traced from the accounts of a famous USA diplomat George Kennan
who then headed the USA State Department Planning Staff. The current American thinking
indicates a reversal. 60The carelessness shown by Donald Trump in handling the global issue like
Brexit is unprecedented. Another term in office by a populist leader and the reversal of the USA
ambitions overseas would be far clearer to catch up.

Donald Trump: Unhappy from the NATO Allies

In his treatment to the NATO allies, Donald Trump manifested his very Far Right stance. Donald
Trump criticized the ally countries for not spending the enough of their budget on Defense as

59 Michael Lgoe, “Disrupt and Complete: How Trump Changed US Foreign Aid”, August 21, 2020, devex 2020,
https://www.devex.com/news/disrupt-and-compete-how-trump-changed-us-foreign-aid-97955. (Accessed: April
5, 2021).
60 Noam Chomsky, How the World Works, Arthur Naiman (Ed.) and David Barsamian (Cont.), (New York: Soft Skull

Press, 2010), pp.14-18.

32
pledged. Although, he reaffirmed his vow to maintain the status of NATO but the unprecedented
decree of warmness and affection shown by Trump for Russia and his harsh treatment with NATO
allies on various occasions casts the clouds of skepticism across the allied states.

All these indicators suggest that USA is replete with Far Right tendencies and neoliberalism has
its links behind it.

Conclusion:

The thesis has tried to establish that neo-liberalism has been the major force behind the rise of the
far-right in the USA. Neo-liberalism was practiced with the belief that it would brought shared
prosperity for all. Rather, these policies have brought inequality, exploitation, and the marginality
of the vulnerable classes. Neo-liberalism inherently has the seeds of inequality. The principles of
privatization, deregulation, and liberalization have given way for the establishment of monopolies
in the market that exploit the workers and labors. The neo-liberal policies have given birth to
economic, political, and social inequalities. For instance, in the U.S. the economic inequality is at
its pinnacle. For the last four decades, the wages have been stagnant while the net worth of the top
one percent have increased manifold. In addition to this, the health care facilities are out of the
range of the citizens. All these inequalities and deprivations have led to the creation of an
“aggrieved class” that is vulnerable and deprived. This ‘aggrieved class’ is the fuel for the far-right
populist leaders. With their rhetoric, and delusionary agenda, the far-right populists exploited the
resentment of the masses and used them to pursue their exclusionist agenda.

In this research paper, the facts and events interpreted under the theoretical framework of neo-
liberalism have led to several key outcomes. The most prominent is that neo-liberalism has been
the contributing factor behind the rise of the far-right in the USA. The basic tenets such as
liberalization, privatization have created resentment among the US citizens because of rising tides
of job loss and inequality. The far-right populists have exploited these resentments in order to
come to power. Instead of chalking out strategies to overcome the structural flaws in the neo-
liberal economic system, they have used their rhetoric of anti-immigration and Islamophobia to
raise to the saddle of power. However, once assuming the power, they have advanced the same
neo-liberal agenda. From the presented evidence, it is clear that the degree and scope of Far-Right
in USA took an unprecedented flight in the times of Donald Trump. In this regard, the application

33
of Critical Race Theory proffers the assertion that the media and the masses in general interpret
the acts of aggression not on the basis of rationality, rather the ethno-religious origins of the
perpetrator become more significant. The same acts committed by two individuals are interpreted
differently. Over and above, the hostility extends from Muslims to Asians and then to the
immigrants in general. In this streak of exploration, the paper has also shed light on the stark
inequality perpetuated in the American society due to neo-liberal philosophy. The Far-Right
demonizes this inequality to craft space for their nationalist agenda. But the key finding in this
regard is that Far-Right uses the neoliberal prescriptions like advertising and marketing to advance
their anti-neoliberal philosophy. The rebellious face that they assume against evils of neoliberalism
is void from inside as they themselves come to power due to the support of neo-liberal economic
giants.

Trump presented himself as the savior of American’s interests, rights, and promised them
to bring back the jobs and opportunities they have lost. The far-right leaders always seek for a
scapegoat on which all the burden could be put. In case of the U.S., instead of blaming the neo-
liberal economic system that have exploited the masses, Trump blamed the immigrants for the
abysmal conditions of the masses and magnified the “Us vs. them” divide. In the guise of
protecting the rights of the ‘Americans’, Trump advanced his exclusionist, anti-immigrant, and
reactionary agenda. He introduced policies at domestic, national and international levels that were
supporting his xenophobic, nativist, and protectionist appeal. His policies galvanized xenophobia
as the attacks on the Muslims and the Asian immigrants increased dramatically. Islamophobia was
on the rise due to Trump’s Anti-Muslim narrative and travel ban on Muslim majority states.
Internationally, under the Trump’s far-right agenda, the U.S. backtracked from the global
agreements on the pretext of its exploitation and disadvantage. To promote economic nationalism
and bring back the lost jobs in the US again, Trump initiated trade war with China and went against
the principles of the international trade. All these measures have not brought any substantial
changes in the socio-economic conditions of the masses. Rather, these policies have exacerbated
the already existing grievances. The challenge of far-right can only be catered if the inherent flaws
of neo-liberalism are rectified.

34
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