Debate: the far right, the state and liberalism
Can the far right be liberal? The debate over the state, nationalism and economics reveals contradictions and historical examples such as Pinochet.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Can the far right be economically liberal?
The question dividing political analysts is whether statism is an indispensable requirement of the far right, or whether it can embrace economic liberalism without betraying its essence. A recent thread has produced historical and theoretical arguments that deserve to be examined without the filter of political correctness.
The dilemma of economic nationalism
On one side, it is argued that nationalism, a pillar of the far right, is incompatible with liberalism, because the latter serves as a tool for extracting wealth on behalf of the international oligarchy. Free-market advocacy clashes with the protection of local workers and national sovereignty. Those who think this way see legalised immigration as a mechanism for cheapening labour, and free trade as a transfer of power to global empires.
The counterexample of Pinochet
Against this view stands the historical example of Augusto Pinochet in Chile. His dictatorship applied the policies of the Chicago Boys, privatisations and trade liberalisation, guaranteeing, according to its defenders, "peace, bread, pogre and a future". For its critics, he was simply another authoritarian dictator serving the CIA to plunder the country and impoverish the working class. The debate shows that the label "far right" can shelter both statists and liberals, depending on the context.
Concentrated power and real freedom
A more radical current, represented by those who advocate the total decentralisation of power, holds that the state and capitalism are inseparable and must both be abolished. The only way to deconcentrate power is through sovereign assemblies, common property and an armed people. From this perspective, true liberalism is impossible under a state with a monopoly on violence, whether of the left or the right. The far right, by strengthening the state apparatus, perpetuates domination.
The question of viability
Sceptics reply that assemblies are a luxury for those with time to deliberate, while the majority must sweep the boss's warehouse in order to eat. Direct democracy has never been carried out on a large scale, not even in ancient Greece, where slaves and women were excluded. Attempting it now would require a titanic effort that people are not willing to make.
What is clear is that the far right is not a monolithic bloc: it can range from advocates of total free markets to supporters of a strong state that regulates the economy in the name of the nation. The question nobody fully answers is whether both positions can coexist without imploding.
Related debates in the forum
The question dividing political analysts is whether statism is an indispensable requirement of the far right, or whether it can embrace economic liberalism without betraying its essence. A recent thread has produced historical and theoretical arguments that deserve to be examined without the filter of political correctness.
The dilemma of economic nationalism
On one side, it is argued that nationalism, a pillar of the far right, is incompatible with liberalism, because the latter serves as a tool for extracting wealth on behalf of the international oligarchy. Free-market advocacy clashes with the protection of local workers and national sovereignty. Those who think this way see legalised immigration as a mechanism for cheapening labour, and free trade as a transfer of power to global empires.
The counterexample of Pinochet
Against this view stands the historical example of Augusto Pinochet in Chile. His dictatorship applied the policies of the Chicago Boys, privatisations and trade liberalisation, guaranteeing, according to its defenders, "peace, bread, pogre and a future". For its critics, he was simply another authoritarian dictator serving the CIA to plunder the country and impoverish the working class. The debate shows that the label "far right" can shelter both statists and liberals, depending on the context.
Concentrated power and real freedom
A more radical current, represented by those who advocate the total decentralisation of power, holds that the state and capitalism are inseparable and must both be abolished. The only way to deconcentrate power is through sovereign assemblies, common property and an armed people. From this perspective, true liberalism is impossible under a state with a monopoly on violence, whether of the left or the right. The far right, by strengthening the state apparatus, perpetuates domination.
The question of viability
Sceptics reply that assemblies are a luxury for those with time to deliberate, while the majority must sweep the boss's warehouse in order to eat. Direct democracy has never been carried out on a large scale, not even in ancient Greece, where slaves and women were excluded. Attempting it now would require a titanic effort that people are not willing to make.
What is clear is that the far right is not a monolithic bloc: it can range from advocates of total free markets to supporters of a strong state that regulates the economy in the name of the nation. The question nobody fully answers is whether both positions can coexist without imploding.
Related debates in the forum
- Rodríguez Zapatero charged · 656 replies
- Peter Turchin and predicting history with advanced mathematical models and AI. · 52 replies
- Sánchez says he won't call an election because he would win by a landslide if he did. · 50 replies
- PLUS ULTRA · 243 replies
Also available in: Deutsch
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (38 replies).
More summaries
-
Identity: Nation and Homeland, Separated from the State Apparatus
The modern nation-state is not a two-century phenomenon. The debate surrounding Identity, homeland, and nation separates common heritage from the bureaucratic machinery of the State.
-
Gay pedophile obtains custody of baby in the United States.
A man convicted of sexual offenses against minors secured custody of a baby in Pennsylvania, U.S., through surrogacy.
-
Spain wildfires: 6,000 evacuated as state stays on the sidelines
Over 6,000 evacuated and 73,000 hectares burned in Galicia as Spain's central government remains in pre-emergency mode, reigniting the dispute over who should manage wildfires.
-
Tweet Places Pablo Fernández in Luxury Housing Development
A tweet places Pablo Fernández living in a luxury development from the Mahou-Calderón operation, the same one Podemos tried to halt.
-
Spain's Supreme Court denies Puigdemont amnesty, orders his arrest
Spain's Supreme Court refuses to apply the amnesty law to Carles Puigdemont and orders his arrest if he returns. The former Catalan president lashes out at Sánchez over the ERC deal.
-
Vaquero-Desokupa hug reopens crisis in Spain's Frente Obrero
A photo of Roberto Vaquero embracing Dani Desokupa has triggered an internal crisis in Frente Obrero, a Spanish communist party, and reignited the debate over its ideological coherence.