Undemocratic liberalism, liberal imperialism and the rise of populism liberalism vs democracy

Abstract

The roots of the currently intensifying conflict in Western societies between the cosmopolitan elites and the masses voting for populist parties lie in the inherent dialectical contradiction between democracy and liberalism exposed and exacerbated by the negative aspects of hyper-globalization. The liberal West, infected by the Fukuyamian germ, tried to make the whole world uniform by using policies of liberal imperialism. Liberalism may indeed survive, and even flourish, in a borderless world. However, contemporary democracy, being tied by the umbilical cord to the rise of nation-states, can hardly survive without strong sovereign states. Instead of pouring oil on the fire of the relentless struggle between self-declared progressivists and populists and looking for dragons (or bears) to slay abroad, Western politicians and mainstream media should resort to the art of compromise in dealing with their political opponents at home and accept that in international relations balance of power is even more important than separation of powers in domestic politics.