Restless Hegemony: Far-Right Political Movements in the United States and Their Implications

Against the backdrop of escalating social division， ethnic rivalry， and political polarization in recent years， the far-right political movements in the United States have become all the more rampant. Far-right political ideologies have become mainstreamed， and far-right political forces such as the Proud Boys have continued to grow. Incidents such as “occupying Capitol Hill” have manifested the heavy blow of the far-right political movements to the United States. These movements have also brought profound international impact， with their close linkage to the far-right political forces in Europe and other regions. In addition， with a strong sense of anti-China hawkishness， they play an important role in driving the U.S. strategic adjustment towards China， which will bring more negative spillover impacts on the China-U.S. relations.

U.S. Far-Right Political Movements Have Become a National Security Threat

When describing the severe internal crisis facing his country， U.S. President Joe Biden emphasized that “political extremism， white supremacy， and domestic terrorism” have posed major challenges. These challenges are closely linked to the far-right political movements. It can be clearly seen that far-right political movements in the United States have become a major threat. Joe Biden explicitly requested the Office of the Director of National Intelligence， the Department of Homeland Security， the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other government agencies to carry out a joint assessment of the threat of domestic violent extremism， and to develop appropriate countermeasures based on it. The Biden administration has also reset the position of Homeland Security Advisor to the President， whose main responsibilities include dealing with the security threat posed by far-right political forces in the United States. The White House National Security Council has also placed a high priority on the issue of far-right political movements. In June 2021， the Biden administration released its first National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism， declaring that far-right violence is the greatest threat to U.S. domestic security.

Far-right ideologies are a mishmash of white supremacy， anti-federalism， and other political philosophies. Although the far-right is born out of conservatism， it views both liberal and left-wing political ideas as opponents and fiercely opposes the moderate， establishment wing of conservatism. Members of the far-right political movements in the United States are from diverse backgrounds， who don’t belong to one single organization. The most representative figures include Richard Spencer， head of the National Policy Institute， and Andrew Anglin， founder of the neo-Nazi website Daily Stormer. In summary， the positions and advocacy of the U.S. far-right political movements include the following：

First， they advocate white nationalism and white supremacy， claiming that the United States is facing a “genocide” against the whites and calling for reclaiming the country that belongs to the whites. Second， they are anti-globalization and anti-immigrant， arguing that economic globalization has led to the plight of the white middle and lower classes in the United States， and that immigrants are competing for jobs with the whites. Third， they are anti-elite and anti-immigrant， arguing that political and business elites with globalist ideals are pushing agendas such as free trade for their own interests without regard to the lives of ordinary Americans， leading to the growing decline of the United States. Fourth， they are against groups such as feminists， homosexuals， transgenders and Jewish people， believing that these groups undermine the social stability and order valued by the conservatives.

Compared with traditional conservative and right-wing forces， the far-right political movements have the following distinctive features： first， they advocate violent and paramilitary means to realize their political demands. Some far-right organizations， such as the Boogaloo Movement， have explicitly stated their intention to prepare for civil war and the overthrow of the Government. Second， they represent a product of American identity politics and a manifestation of the culture war， with a distinct social and psychological foundation. The far-right forces believe that in the past few decades， the left-wing forces in the United States have been growing， and conservatism has not responded well to the anti-abortion， anti-gay and other issues. On top of this， with the significant increase in Latinos， Asians and other foreign immigrants， the U.S. demographics and social structure is facing a challenge of “Great Replacement”， which will fundamentally change the way of life dominated by U.S. white people and white culture， hence the need to take radical means to defend the “white nation”. Third， they promote various conspiracy theories such as “Jewish mobs control the world”.

The Trump administration saw a rise in far-right political movements in the United States and the extreme violence they brought. Organizations such as the Proud Boys carried out a series of violent acts during the Black Lives Matter movement and the 2020 presidential election. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has uncovered a plot to kidnap Michigan’s Democratic governor， Gretchen Whitmer， and violently overthrow the state government. People involved in the case were all from far-right organizations， some of whom were even former Marines.

In recent years， the impact of far-right political movements has increased rather than decreased， and their ideologies have become more mainstream. Donald Trump is supported by many far-right organizations， some of which even describe themselves as “Trump’s warriors”. The “Make America Great Again” faction of Republicans is trying to take advantage of the strong mobilizing power of the far-right political forces to strike a blow against Joe Biden and the Democrats in the 2024 U.S. election. According to the assessment of U.S. government agencies and experts， far-right political movements may pose an even greater threat in the future： first， there may be more “lone wolf operations” carried out by far-right forces， exacerbating the challenge of domestic terrorism in the United States. Second， the far-right forces may step up their planning and implementation of paramilitary operations， using white militias to launch armed insurgencies and seize power in relevant U.S. local governments. Third， the far-right forces will retaliate and attack the liberal media. If the Biden administration further pressures the social media to restrict the voices of the far-right， the number of attacks by far-right organizations on media professionals and institutions may increase. Fourth， the far-right forces will push for “referendums on independence” in states with strong conservatism， such as Texas， in order to exert pressure on the Democratic-controlled federal government in a relatively legal and peaceful way.

Reasons for the Growth of U.S. Far-Right Political Movements

The far-right political movements in the United States have deep historical roots， which can be traced back to the emergence of the Ku Klux Klan during the American Civil War in the 1860s. The Ku Klux Klan， composed mainly of veterans of the Confederate army who opposed the emancipation of slaves， advocated the maintenance of white social superiority over black， Jewish， Asian and other immigrants through violent actions. Both the ideologies of racism and the tradition of political violence have been perpetuated within U.S. society， especially in the southern and western regions. The Civil War is recognized as an important source of political violence within the United States. By the 1960s， the civil rights movements that emerged within the country were actually accompanied by serious political violence. Many American scholars are concerned that the far-right political movements significantly increase the risk of the United States falling back into a civil war once again.

The current far-right political trend is mainly a product of the profound changes in American politics under the influence of globalization in the post-Cold War era. After the end of the Cold War， with Bill Clinton and the Democrats in power， the process of economic globalization and political liberalization has accelerated， and domestic conservatism in the United States has been suppressed by the Democratic Party and the left-wing forces. Against this backdrop， far-right political forces， with Richard Spencer and others as their flag-bearers， have attempted to make a strong counterattack. Steve Bannon was appointed as the chief strategist of the White House after Donald Trump took office in 2017， and politicians with far-right political philosophies， such as Marjorie Taylor Greene， became members of the U.S. Congress， marking the successful incursion of U.S. far-right political forces from the fringes of society into mainstream politics.

The main reasons for the growing power of far-right politics in the United States are as follows： first， the gap between the rich and the poor in the U.S. society has widened， the anger and dissatisfaction of the white middle and lower classes with the political elites have continued to rise， and the white people at the bottom of the society have been in a difficult economic situation. All of these have provided the basic conditions for the expansion of the far-right political movement. The economic plight of the whites is mainly caused by three major factors： first， the loss of jobs due to economic globalization， especially in the manufacturing and energy sectors; second， the growing unemployment problem caused by technological advances such as automation， which has had a major impact on whites in rural areas with low levels of education; third， the financialization of the U.S. economy has resulted in profits for only a few， such as the Wall Street elites， and the irrational social distribution mechanism has brought about the chronic problem of “the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.” Far-right organizations such as the Patriot Front claim that the whites are the “victims” of globalization and globalism， and the anti-globalization views they advocate are recognized by many white Americans.

Second， ethnic conflicts in the United States have been intensifying. The high fertility rate of people of color has led to rising “existential anxiety” among white Americans， and hence the concept of white supremacy advocated by far-right political forces has gained more and more support. According to the U.S. Census Bureau， by about 2044， the number of people of color in the United States， such as African-Americans， Latinos， and Asians， will outnumber the whites. Far-right forces claim that if the U.S. electoral system is not adjusted， and if it does not firmly adopt a policy of supporting the whites and suppressing immigrants， as Trump has done， the fate of the whites will become more and more miserable. They argue that the only way to “make America great again” is to “make America white again”. The supporters of the far-right political movements are basically white people from the middle and lower classes in the United States， and they firmly believe that figures like Donald Trump are the “saviors” of white people in the United States.

Third， the development of technology such as the internet and the popularization of social media has made American politics “tribalistic”， so that the far-right political forces have been able to achieve more powerful dissemination of ideas and political mobilization. Digital technology is a double-edged sword for the U.S. democracy. Francis Fukuyama， a senior fellow at Stanford University， said to the effect that， the internet makes people express themselves freely， but also accelerates the flow of conspiracy theories and slander. Social media has actually plunged a large number of Americans into an “information cocoon”， and “tribalism” in American politics has become more and more apparent. Politically related “hate speeches” can be seen on the internet everywhere， while the social media platforms where they are published are not responsible for it. The core strategy of U.S. far-right political organizations is to use the internet and other technological means to create and disseminate all kinds of 1 information， and to use automated programs to create 1 likes and retweets， so as to stimulate and manipulate the fear of the white American public.

Fourth， the inherent problems of the U.S. political system， especially the electoral system， have made U.S. politics in general more “polarized”， which has provided an important environment for the growth of far-right political movements. Since the international financial crisis in 2008， the competition between the U.S. Democrats and Republicans has become increasingly intense， and redistricting has made the “left-right battle” in the United States fiercer. The political parties’ vicious competition has reduced American democracy to a kind of “vetocracy”， making the government lack the ability to solve the contradictions in the economic and social fields. Therefore， the American people’s trust in the government and the political elites has been declining. The existing political party system in the United States is unable to respond to the challenges of economic and social development， and the ability of the U.S. electoral system to regulate domestic political conflicts in the United States is also in decline. According to the statistics of American political scholars， there have been more than 900 specific proposals on how to reform the Electoral College system， but it has been difficult to promote relevant reforms in the United States. The U.S. political system’s ability to limit and control far-right political violence is insufficient. For instance， there are many legislative and judicial loopholes in the response to domestic terrorism.

The U.S. Far-Right Political Movements Have Been Expanding Their International Influence

While profoundly changing the U.S. domestic political ecology， the U.S. far-right political movements also focus on expanding their influence outward， closely linking with the far-right political forces in Europe and other regions in an attempt to weave an international network of far-right political movements. The U.S. far-right political forces have strong anti-China sentiments， driving the U.S. government to adopt hard-line China policies， which to a certain extent affects the stability of China-U.S. relations.

I. Building an International Network of Far-Right Political Movements

The growth of the U.S. far-right political movements is a reflection of the growing strength of right-wing populist forces globally after the 2008 international financial crisis， which has the characteristic of being prominently international. The U.S. far-right forces have focused on expanding their influence outward， while seeking external support， in an attempt to build a closer international network of far-right political movements. This trend is particularly prominent between the United States and Europe. After Steve Bannon， Trump’s important brain truster and the former chief strategist of the White House， left his post in August 2017， he set up a foundation in Europe called The Movement， boosting the morale for the European far-right political forces， and attempting to contribute to the coordination and linkage between far-right political forces in the United States and Europe. Scholars like Kemal Dervis， a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution， have pointed out that Steve Bannon is trying to establish a “neo-nationalist international”.

The continued expansion of the influence of the U.S. far-right political forces in the European region is deeply rooted in the contemporary context. In recent years， right-wing populist political parties in European countries have been on the rise and have gradually gained important positions in mainstream politics， with increasing influence on politics in relevant countries. For example， Marine Le Pen， the leader of France’s National Rally， said that there are actually only two political factions in France， one supporting the National Rally and the other opposing it. While the French political arena is facing an increasing impact of right-wing populist parties， Germany has also seen a similar trend. In recent years， poll results show that the support rate for the AfD with anti-immigration， anti-euro policies has increased significantly， while that for the CDU and other traditional political parties has continued to fall. In fact， in addition to France’s National Rally and Germany’s AfD， other right-wing populist parties such as the UK Independence Party， the Danish People’s Party and Finland’s True Finns Party have had quite successful elections in their countries in recent years. Some have even become the second largest party in the parliament of their countries.

There are many points of convergence between the demands of the far-right political movements in the United States and Europe. In fact， their interactions help enhance the legitimacy and influence of the far-right ideologies. First， they are both anti-elites， anti-mainstream and have a strong nationalist and xenophobic tendency， advocating the establishment of a “homogeneous society” in the sense of ethnicity， descent and culture. Second， they both target ethnic minorities， non-mainstream religious believers and foreign immigrants， viewing the latter as the root causes of their own economic， social and political crises. Third， they both emphasize the maintenance of “national sovereignty”. The far-right political forces in the United States advocate “taking back our country”. They are extremely hostile to international organizations and multilateralism， and promote the narrative of “supremacy of national sovereignty”. Far-right political parties in Europe show a similar tendency. They openly oppose European integration， dislike the political elite groups who support the concept of “More Europe”， and propose that their countries should leave the European Union， regain sovereignty， and provide strong “protection” for their own people.

The U.S. far-right forces mainly take following strategies to expand their influence in Europe. First， they devote efforts to strengthening the European people’s sense of insecurity and fear. In recent years， Europe has faced the serious impact of multiple crises， including the European debt crisis， the refugee crisis， and the Ukraine crisis， significantly increasing the sense of insecurity among the people of European countries， which provides a “hotbed” for the U.S. far-right political forces to disseminate the concepts of populism and nationalism to the European people. Second， they help European far-right political parties to compete for voters from mainstream political parties. These far-right parties include the Austrian People’s Party and the Spanish Socialist Party. As the traditional major parties in many European countries have performed poorly in governance， they have been depicted by the far-right parties as corrupt， incompetent and apathetic “political elites”. Far-right parties have taken advantage of the situation to gain political capital and strive to win over voters. Third， they force the mainstream political parties to absorb the policy ideas of the far-right， including the restriction of immigration， the control of Islam， and the reduction of the European Union’s restraint on the sovereignty of the countries concerned. Fourth， they push the far-right parties to increase their influence in the European Parliament. Far-right political parties in many European countries have successfully challenged the traditional mainstream political parties， and they have begun to enter the European Union headquarters in Brussels， utilizing the mechanisms， platforms and allowances of European parliamentarians in the European Union to advocate their anti-European integration policy， and to influence the European Union’s agenda setting in such areas as immigration policy.

In addition， far-right forces in the United States are promoting “neo-fascism”. They have close ties with organizations such as the Azov Battalion in Ukraine and the Japanese right-wing group Issuikai. They once went to Japan to “discuss cooperation” and paid special collective visits to the Yasukuni Shrine. The Azov Battalion， which has neo-Nazi characteristics， also trains white supremacists in the United States. The U.S. far-right political forces have also been in close contact with the right-wing forces in many Latin American countries， including Brazil and Argentina. Factors such as weak global economic development in the post-pandemic era will translate into political devastation. The influence of the far-right political movements is expected to expand further， with their policy ideas being more inflammatory， relying heavily on cyberspace for dissemination， and also focusing on developing grass-roots forces and strengthening transnational linkages in a stealthy manner.

II. Negative Impact on China-United States Relations

The internalization of major country competition is an important perspective for viewing the evolution of U.S. strategy towards China. U.S. domestic political factors are having a more in-depth and complex influence on China-U.S. relations. Some U.S. politicians tend to look for “scapegoats” for the U.S.’s own difficulties， with China bearing the brunt. The far-right political forces in the United States generally hold an anti-China and anti-communist hawkish stance， and they have been vigorously shaping American voters’ perceptions of China. While voters with increasingly negative attitudes toward China will in turn shape the views of the American politicians， who are accustomed to playing the “China card” to seek favors in domestic politics， and to gain the support of voters and relevant interest groups by displaying a hard-line stance towards China. This vicious cycle will cause lasting and significant damage to the China-U.S. relations.

In recent years， a series of public opinion polls have shown that U.S. Republican voters have a more serious negative perception of China， which is closely related to the anti-China propaganda of far-right political forces represented by Steve Bannon. In addition， the negative perceptions of China promoted by the far-right are also related to a variety of factors such as race and religion. David Ebner and Vladimir Medenica， political scientists at the University of Delaware， find that white Americans who express higher levels of racial hatred are more likely to view China as a military threat. Peter Bennet， a political science professor at the City College of New York， argues that the John Birch Society， an organization with some religious background that promoted anti-communism and conspiracy theories has put on a preview of current right-wing populism， and that current white American evangelicals hold the greatest hostility to China， with many Republican voters seeing China’s rise not only as a threat to U.S. power， but also as a threat to the white Christian power.

In particular， after the COVID-19 pandemic， the U.S. far-right political forces deliberately hyped up “China virus” and other conspiracy theories， provoking greater hostility of the U.S. public against Asian Americans， especially the Chinese community. White-led “hate groups” and “hate crimes” have increased significantly and bringing new and serious challenges to China-U.S. relations. In addition， China needs to be highly vigilant against the far-right political forces in the United States colluding with the “Taiwan independence” and “Xinjiang independence” forces to push forward the anti-China agenda. In short， the influence of far-right political forces in U.S. domestic politics should be taken seriously at present and in the coming period. Factors such as Joe Biden and the Democratic Party pushing for judicial investigations against Donald Trump are likely to further stimulate far-right political forces in the United States. Should Donald Trump win the 2024 election， the influence of far-right political movements might reach a new high. The intensification of political chaos in the United States will have a spillover effect on China-U.S. relations. It is therefore imperative for China to take the initiative to prevent it and properly deal with the inherent restlessness of the growing U.S. hegemony.

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Zhao Minghao is Deputy Director and Professor of the Center for American Studies of Fudan University