“A quasi-religious faith in a pan-European identity”

At last, a piece on the “alt-right” that doesn’t mention Dugin! Plus, it hinges on this worthwhile observation:

The alt-right’s love of Europeanism blends racial politics with a quasi-religious faith in a pan-European identity.

Says Devin Burghart, vice president of the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights:

“It is white nationalist internationalism,” he added. The aim “is to protect the white nation as an idea more than to protect any white nation state.”

This seems to describe the wishful thinking of some alt-rightists but does not square well with Bannon et al.’s support for Brexit and dissolving the EU. Perhaps the underlying idea is European unity would be stronger if Europeans were confined to nation-states again. From my Web gleanings, I would agree that in alt/paleo thinking, the notion of the West’s greatness and superiority, occasionally with racial undertones, is non-negotiable, although the degree to which the actual, present-day West is mired in debauchery is never quite agreed on.

Too bad that Jacob Siegel, the author, brings up the very marginally important Richard Spencer but does not mention Curtis Yarvin aka Mencius Moldbug and his Dark Enlightenment writings at Unqualified Reservations. I’m too lazy to read through his stuff, but it looks like he had quite a following among the tech crowd a few years ago.

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