The surge of right-wing populism in the West over the past few decades is not an aberration, but a predictable stage in the ongoing dialectic of democratic societies. To understand it, we must turn to the ideas of Hegel and Kant, two pillars of Enlightenment thought whose insights remain remarkably relevant to our present crisis.
Hegel's dialectical view of history provides a crucial framework. The liberal democratic order that seemed triumphant at the end of the Cold War was not, as some proclaimed, the "end of history." Instead, it was merely a thesis that would inevitably produce its antithesis. Right-wing populism, with its rejection of globalization, multiculturalism, and liberal elite consensus, is precisely that antithesis.
But this is not mere regression or a simple pendulum swing. It's a necessary part of a larger historical process. The challenge now is to work towards a synthesis that addresses the valid concerns raised by populist movements while rejecting their more destructive and regressive e