It's Nationalism, Not Fascism

Writing for Geopolitical Futures, George Friedman debunks the claim that fascism is on the rise, both in the U.S. and Europe. Of this claim, he says:

In the 1950s, the McCarthyites charged anyone they didn’t like with being communists. Today, those who disapprove of the challengers of the current system call them fascists.

What we are seeing is the rise of the nation-state against the will of multinational organizations and agreements. There are serious questions about membership in the EU, NATO and trade agreements, and equally about the right to control borders.

We are seeing a return to nationalism in Europe and the United States because it is not clear to many that internationalism, as followed since World War II, benefits them any longer.

That seems sensible to me, and perhaps overdue.