Executive Orders

Right-wing ideologies are gaining ground in many countries across the world

- Zoya Hasan

THERE has of late been a clear shift towards the far right all over the world. Narendra Modi’s re-election for a third term in June 2024 and Donald Trump’s return to the White House after winning the presidential election against Kamala Harris in November 2024 are part of the massive political shift that has taken place in the last decade. Between 2016 and 2021, the world has witnessed a significant change in the global political landscape, marked by the rise of populist ideologies and movements with rightwing parties coming to power in several countries, including in Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia. Two of the largest democracies—India and the United States—have far-right leaders at the helm. Political trends in places like Hungary, Austria, Italy, France, Netherlands, Israel, Turkey, Brazil and Argentina are part of this transformation, with right-wing ideologies gaining ground in many of these countries and forming governments.

There is a global context to the ascent of the far right. The social, political and economic circumstances under which different countries, from the global north to the global south, witnessed a surge of the right reveal certain commonalities. The 2008 global financial crisis exposed the vulnerabilities of neoliberal capitalism. Following the financial crisis, there was a widespread expectation that it would provide fertile ground for the resurgence of left-wing politics. That didn’t happen. Both liberalism and the left are now in retreat in most parts of the world. Instead, the far right gathered momentum after 2008 and it has been significantly more influential in the post-crisis era. The huge shift to the right raises the question: why is this so?