Re: <nettime> Europe and the MAGA mind virus

[Mez Breeze via nettime-l <nettime-l@lists.nettime.org>]

It’s no wonder that Europe is rattled: what’s more surprising is the length
of its denial. Vance’s pronouncement[s] in Munich simply confirms what
countless signals have been telegraphing for years. The old paradigm of
Western unity is cracking.

And while Europe balks at America’s abrupt renunciation of the old order,
it must also confront that many of its own nations are lurching
[far]rightward. Look at Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland [which
steadily feeds on discontent] or the momentum behind populist leaders like
Italy’s Meloni. There’s Viktor Orbán, + there's also Austria's Freedom
Party. Meanwhile France reels in its own brand of chaos dealing with
fractious politics that swing between protest movements and establishment
fatigue [is no corner of Europe immune?].

Meanwhile here in Australia we're bracing for our own 2025 white-knuckle
ride as the nation slides into a pre-federal-election hype cycle, with an
unsettling [but definitely not surprising] echo of Trumpian tactics wielded
by Peter Dutton and his [confusingly named] right-wing Liberal-National
Coalition [or LNP]. Dutton's pledge for a Musk-inspired “Department of
Government Efficiency” rings of the same populist drumbeat we’ve seen
reverberate across the globe: efficiency as a euphemism for slashing
oversight + curtailing dissent + centralizing power.
- Mez


On Tue, Feb 18, 2025 at 3:25 AM David Garcia via nettime-l <
nettime-l@lists.nettime.org> wrote:

> Europe is reeling from the unsurprising message of JD Vance’s speech in
> Munich last week that (news flash) Trump meant it all along. And we must
> take him "literally not just seriously". It really is and has always been
> America 1st. NATO's article 5 and protecting Europe are no longer on the
> menu.
>
> The old ideological basis of fighting communism has long gone and the
> Trumpian regime has moved swiftly to dispense with established commitments
> and alliances. Some have seen it as a return to the great power carve up of
> Yalta, but that makes little sense when there can be no trust. As any new
> treaty will have to rely on an erratic protagonist happy to throw previous
> long-standing allies under any available bus.
>
> So from the perspective of what serves the interests of the MAGA mind
> virus, is there any downside to this “shock and awe” program? Right now, it
> must look like it’s all upside. In that Europe (who has only itself to
> blame) has been shaken out of its delusional slumber. And is struggling to
> adapt to the realisation that the old order’s bi-polar logic no longer
> applies. As we are fracturing into multiple competing states the old left
> vs right dichotomy appears to have been superseded by autocratic
> technocracy vs autocratic populism, with the latter currently in the
> driving seat.
>
> So once again is there a downside from a Trumpian perspective to this
> campaign and if so what does it look like? Maybe we should start with its
> potential impact on hi-tech global manufacturing’s continued dependence on
> complex supply chains? Where will the great unravelling of this hubristic
> maelstrom appear?
>
> David Garcia
>
>

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