The Resurgent American Old Right: Trumpism, Middle American Radicals and the Challenge of the Liberal International Order

Abstract

In the aftermath of the Second World War, the United States has shaped the global governing system by providing grand bargains built around multilateral institutions that bind liberal democracies, foster economic and political cooperation, and establish a security community to avoid any future global conflicts. The success of the liberal regime was seen in the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, which amounted to the triumph of these liberal policies and institutions. However, thirty years after the collapse of the Soviet regime a new radical conservative movement has been rising within Western democracies challenging the liberal international order. A prominent case study is exemplified with the election of Donald Trump and the advancement of the America First agenda. In this research, three questions will be addressed: (1) determine whether if Trump’s anti-liberal discourse is a new or revolutionary critique of the liberal international order, (2) explore the domestic considerations inside the United States that enable the growth of Trumpism and the hostile rhetoric towards liberal internationalism, and (3) explain the implications of Trump’s rhetoric towards the liberal international project. This historical research will argue that Trump utilizes a long tradition from the American Old Right by using paleoconservative discourse to confront current order norms, infrastructure, institutions, and political elites. Furthermore, Trump’s rise in popularity can be credited to the glaring shortcomings of neoconservatism that help shaped the Republican party following the demise of the American Old Right. This includes the failures in the Washington Consensus, the limitations in implementing interventionist foreign policy, and the handling of America’s new demographic changes. The lasting damages of Trump’s discourse can be most profound in his targeting of the liberal order foundational guiding principles, such as promoting political liberal governance, economic liberalism, and liberal intergovernmentalism to the global community.

Key Words: Liberal International Order, Old Right, U.S. Paleoconservatism, Trumpism, Neoconservatism, American Radical Right