The Rise of International Nationalism

Important Note: This article focuses on right-wing nationalist parties. Left-wing nationalist parties are not included in this analysis. We kindly ask our readers to keep this in mind while interpreting the content.

Rise of Nationalism in Europe

The world is changing. As the world changes, ideas and ideologies evolve and transform—sometimes resisting change, sometimes adapting to it. Nationalism is one of the leading ideologies undergoing transformation. Especially in Europe, due to Hitler and Mussolini being labeled a "nationalist", the word nationalism was replaced by patriotism for many years. Nationalists avoided calling themselves nationalists. However, this is now changing. The emergence of new parties—often referred to as far-right in the literature (although there is some conceptual ambiguity here, see Wolf, 2016)—and their development of a new discourse separate from traditional center-right and center-left parties has brought nationalism back into popularity.

Meloni in Italy (Brothers of Italy), AfD in Germany (Alternative for Germany), Le Pen in France, the Reform Party in the UK, FPÖ in Austria, Chega in Portugal, SD in Sweden (Sweden Democrats), and many more… So what makes these parties so popular? To answer that, we need to look at their common characteristics. Their most significant common feature is their stance against the increasing wave of immigration worldwide. In addition, even though not all of them are in the same group in the European Parliament, they do not shy away from expressing support for one another. For example, before an election in France, Portugal’s nationalist party Chega’s leader posted a message wishing success to that party(see Figure 1).

Figure 1

Another question we should ask is: if nationalism were simply about seeing one's own nation as superior to others, why would a nationalist party support a nationalist party in another country? This is precisely where we see that nationalism has changed and adapted to the times. I would like to refer to this phenomenon as International Nationalism, a term already used in various news outlets (The New York Times, 2022). My inspiration comes from the following words by Ziya Gökalp, one of the key figures of Turkish nationalism, in his book The Principles of Turkism (Türkçülüğün Esasları):

“…However, there is no contradiction between Turkism and internationalism that would prevent their coexistence. Every Turkist is, at the same time, an internationalist. This is because each of us lives two forms of social life: one national, and the other international.

Our national life is the expression of our own national culture. Our international life, on the other hand, consists of drawing from two sources: one is universal civilization, and the other is the multitude of cultures—each with its own distinct and original flavor—from which we take our share.”

Indeed, being a nationalist does not contradict being international. The far-right (nationalist) parties we see rising today also seem to aim at maintaining an international character.

Figure 2

Figure 3-BBC

Common Traits and Differences of Nationalist Parties

The common features of nationalist parties in Europe can be summarized as follows:

1. Speaking out against immigration issues

2. Viewing multiculturalism as harmful to varying degrees

3. Supporting the idea of the nation-state

4. Criticizing the EU’s bureaucratic and ineffective structure

5. Generally adopting liberal economic policies, with few exceptions

6. Using populist rhetoric that challenges the current system

However, there are also points on which these parties diverge:

1. Their stance on EU membership

2. Their stance on NATO membership

3. Their countries’ specific problems

Figure 4-International Bar Association

Meloni and Western Nationalism

In The Clash of Civilizations, Huntington argued that after the Cold War, conflicts would be shaped by cultural and civilizational differences. Many such conflicts have indeed occurred since then, validating his view. So how does this relate to nationalist parties? These parties express a strong commitment to preserving their own culture and civilization. They fear that mass immigration may erode the cultural fabric of their countries. For this reason, what we are witnessing today could also be described as a civilizational struggle.

Italian Prime Minister Meloni confirmed this perspective during her meeting with Trump at the White House when she said: “I believe we should look at this as Western Nationalism and say Make West Great Again. When I say ‘West,’ I mean it not geographically but as a civilization.”

Meloni's statement was not made lightly. Before she became Prime Minister, the EU viewed her with suspicion—her past admiration for Mussolini was a major concern. But since taking office, Meloni has worked to strengthen the EU through reforms. She has firmly opposed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Today, by meeting with Trump independently of the EU, she is signaling her desire to become a new leader in Europe. It is likely that other nationalist parties will draw inspiration from her success so far.

Figure 5:Meloni and Trump

The fact that nationalist parties are adopting an international perspective may be a product of globalization. If ideologies and ideas remain fixed in their original forms, they cannot be preserved. Therefore, if a nationalist ideology aims to come to power, it must also adapt to the needs of the time. Seeing change as a step toward renewal and development is vital for the survival of any ideology.

To sum up, the international character of these parties is taking shape around the transformation of nationalism and a shared set of issues. If these problems persist, it is likely that these parties will eventually replace the current mainstream parties. In response, mainstream parties are trying to reclaim votes by taking new measures—especially regarding immigration. For instance, Germany’s new CDU (centre-right party in Germany) Chancellor Merz has made immigration a central issue in his campaign. On the other hand in the UK, Labour Party leader and Prime Minister Starmer has initiated a new policy effort against illegal immigration (SkyNews, 2025)

The Trump’s impact on these populist parties should also be scrutinized because whether Trump’s support of them is beneficial or not is another important question. As the Canada elections shows Trump might be one of the most important factors affecting voting behavior in elections when he speak about internal affairs of that country(Reuters, 2025; BBC, 2025) 

The Case of Türkiye: Secular Turkish Nationalism

After presenting a global perspective under the name Turkonomics, we should also discuss the nationalist movements in the Republic of Türkiye. In recent years, a new ideological perspective has emerged in Türkiye, often referred to as Secular Nationalism. This perspective is distinct from traditional nationalist movements that have generally been rooted in the Turkish-Islamic synthesis, which has been prominent since the 1980s and largely embraced by supporters of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).

Secular Nationalism carries different concerns and ideas. One of its most prominent advocates, Bahadırhan Dinçaslan, describes religious as a kind of "cancer" within the nationalist ideology, also he emphasizes that nationalism is different from racism and that viewing one’s nation as superior to others is a mistake (NewLinesMag, 2023). Secular Turkish Nationalism, while sharing similarities with Kemalism due to its advocacy of the ideas of the founder of Republic Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, also incorporates Turanism—an ideal that envisions a grand organizational unity among Turkic states—making it a unique ideological strand.

Although there aren’t many English-language resources on Secular Turkish Nationalism yet, those interested in learning more are encouraged to read the articles by Dinçaslan.

References

BBC. (2019, November 13). Europe and right-wing nationalism: A country-by-country guide. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36130006

BBC. (2025, April 29). Trump made Carney's turnaround victory possible. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5ypz7yx73wo

Gökalp, Z. (1923). Türkçülüğün esasları.

Huntington, S. P. (1996). The clash of civilizations and the remaking of world order. Simon & Schuster.

International Bar Association. (2024, September 30). The year of elections: The rise of Europe’s far right. https://www.ibanet.org/The-year-of-elections-The-rise-of-Europes-far-right

New Lines Magazine. (2023, August 2). A political murder reflects the rise and fracture of Turkey’s far right. https://newlinesmag.com/essays/a-political-murder-reflects-the-rise-and-fracture-of-turkeys-far-right

Reuters. (2025, April 29). Canada's Liberals ride Trump backlash to comeback election win. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canadas-liberals-benefit-trump-backlash-claim-poll-victory-2025-04-29

SkyNews. (2025, May 12). What are Sir Keir Starmer's new immigration rules? https://news.sky.com/story/what-are-sir-keir-starmers-new-immigration-rules-13366468

The New York Times. (2022, December 5). The rise of international nationalists. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/05/special-series/orban-le-pen-international-nationalism.html

Washington Institute. (2022, November 10). Re-evaluating Turkish nationalism: A bulwark against the religious establishment. https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/re-evaluating-turkish-nationalism-bulwark-against-religious-establishment

Wolf, T. (2016). Is the Alternative for Germany really right-wing populist? Czech Journal of Political Science, 2(2), 149–163. https://doi.org/10.5817/PC2016-2-149