The Nationalist Revival

Praise

“Excellent and compact book.... A person of the left, Judis specializes in speaking truth to liberals, something he also did in his earlier The Populist Explosion. He thinks it’s important for progressives to understand why so many are drawn to Trump and the far right in Europe.” E.J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post

“Methodically and with data widely drawn, Judis points the finger at a globalization that has seen once well-rewarded jobs shipped overseas; at immigration and the cultural and economic resentment it stirs; and at terrorism and the fear of the other it provokes. He also reminds us that ethnic nationalism is hardly new in the United States—that the melting pot self-conception of the American nation is relatively recent and that for more than a century the American people conceived their country in strictly white, northern European and Protestant terms. Wisely, he argues that nationalism does not have an innate political color, that it can shade right or left depending on the ideological pigment with which it is combined.” Jonathan Freedland, New York Times Book Review

“John B. Judis does not see a death-match between imperial liberalism on the one hand and nationalism on the other. His book argues that elites have overreached, both in the U.S. and in Europe, in advocating large-scale immigration and trade deals and foreign interventions. As a result, Mr. Judis—a former New Republic editor who has long supported progressive and pro-labor economic policies—calls for a synthesis between liberalism and nationalism.“ Jason Willick, Wall Street Journal

“Most liberals have a problem with nationalism. John Judis has a problem with the problem liberals have with nationalism. This dynamic—or dialectic, if you prefer—makes Judis’ latest book, The Nationalist Revival, essential reading.... Judis might be said to have spent decades preparing himself for our current moment and developing the depth of understanding that allowed him to pack so much into his two compact and revelatory volumes for the impressive Columbia Global Reports series.” E.J. Dionne, American Prospect

“John B. Judis’ new book offers a timely reminder that there is such a thing as a nationalist left, and the author himself is part of it.” Daniel McCarthy, National Interest

“The longtime political journalist limns the rise of Trumpian nationalism in the face of a bewilderingly global world.” Kirkus Reviews

“John B. Judis is the rare left-of-center journalist who takes our populist-nationalist moment seriously. Rather than dismiss the leaders and constituencies of the American and European movements as mere xenophobes, he offers an empathetic balls-and-strikes analysis of the socioeconomic factors that made-and continue to make-such campaigns viable.” American Conservative