"Genetically Modified Fascism" is on the march

No alarm is stronger in these hard times than the one heralding what is about to sweep over Europe.

Be clear: 2025 will begin “for real” on January 20, as Donald Trump takes over as President of the U.S.A., undoubtedly setting in motion a chain of events and currents, with the alt-right in the lead. The magnitude of the consequences is not difficult to predict, and they will undoubtedly further shatter the World Order and the tenets on which European democracies stand.

The decisive test will be for the traditional center-right of the European political spectrum. Since the end of WWII, they have been the most powerful bloc—along with the Social Democrats. They still are, in contrast to the latter.

These days, they feel the heat both from within and from outside. Germany’s far-right party is feeling increasingly emboldened ahead of the upcoming elections. If so, they may replicate what recently occurred in Austria. Its president, Alexander Van der Bellen, gave Herbert Kickl, leader of Austria’s anti-immigrant Freedom Party (FPÖ), the task of forming a new government following the collapse of coalition talks between mainstream parties.

The ongoing crisis in France, with its fragile government, is aiding the far-right National Rally, adding to concerns.

In general, much of Europe increasingly resembles the Europe of the 1930s.

And then, as the proverbial icing on the cake, we have the new tech-oligarchs, who, enthusiastically surrounding Trump, smell “blood” and aim to engineer European politics toward even more autocratic rule.

The leading figure is Elon Musk, one of the richest men in the world, who has publicly supported the far-right AfD, using his platform, X, as a tool. He even went so far as to conduct an interview with Alice Weidel, co-chairwoman of the party. Musk has also sparred with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. German, Norwegian, and French leaders have reacted strongly to his brazen interferences.

Repercussions have followed. Scores of universities and research institutions in Germany and Austria announced on Friday their intention to leave X, citing its algorithms' opposition to discourse based on scientific and democratic integrity. They are joined by the trade union GEW and the German Federal Court of Justice (BGH). According to Deutsche Welle, the German government is also considering leaving the platform because it has an "agitated and polarizing" effect on public political discourse.

But it would be naive to believe Musk will back off—on the contrary.

Fueled by aggressive nativism and a "devil take the hindmost" philosophy, the entry of American oligarchs into the political domain poses a direct threat to Europe, already vulnerable in the face of Russian irredentism.

These super-rich individuals include five men. They are all directşy or indirectlşy active in supporting the upcoming Trump administration. The trio consists of Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and David Sacks, who aggressively backed the Trump-Vance ticket. They are certain to thrive financially and wield influence over the world order they want Trump to engineer.

They are already operational in key areas of state authority, such as Musk’s SpaceX and Thiel’s company, Palantir, which, among other activities, develops software for the CIA. The latter is proof enough of how deeply the "inner state" of the U.S.A. has been penetrated -- and a harbinger of a “parallel state” in the making.

But there is more: Trump has tasked Musk with “reorganizing” bureaucratic structures of the American administration and Sacks, a bold figure in the crypto industry, with leading the AI policy. Everyone knows Thiel is the financier behind Vice President-elect J.D. Vance.

All three are “dog-eat-dog social Darwinists” with common roots in South Africa’s apartheid past.

Their experiences profoundly shaped their worldviews, as Quinn Slobodian, of Boston University and author of Crack-Up Capitalism, has detailed.

They have two other super-rich accomplices already serving Trump.

As the owner of the Washington Post, Jeff Bezos is busy interfering in its editorial decisions and firing dozens of staffers.

Mark Zuckerberg, joining the caravan, declared recently he has “gotten rid of fact-checkers” on Facebook, Threads, and Instagram.

“They possess immense financial resources and are the media moguls of our time. They have bought media platforms, politicians, and the entire Republican Party. They are revolutionaries who amassed their fortunes within an institutional framework they now seek to destroy. They are isolationists yet demand global acceptance for their business interests,,” wrote Olof Ehrenkrona -- a former diplomat, editorial writer for Svenska Dagbladet, and a prominent figure in Swedish center-right/conservative politics -- in a recent essay.

Ehrenkrona's article is one of the first in its power for a wake-up call for the traditional centrist politics from its winter sleep. He wrote:

“Europe is caught between reactionary imperialism in Russia and the U.S., where aggressive influence campaigns aim to dismantle European cooperation built on the ruins of two world wars,” he argues. "This is another type of revolution aimed at tearing down unifying structures and transforming Europe’s nations from allies into vassals."

“Germany will hold elections in February. In France, politics are paralyzed by large extremist parties on both flanks. Both countries struggle with significant structural problems, resulting in low growth. The demand on institutions to deliver growth conditions during this ongoing transition is greater than it has been in decades.”

“The free Europe is in jeopardy if individuals like Musk, Thiel, and Sacks align with the Kremlin and use their financial and opinion-shaping resources to support Europe’s far-right and dismantle center-right parties. The trio shares Trump’s fascination with authoritarian regimes. Musk has significant interests in China. Peter Thiel has lamented resistance to Trump’s foreign policy and criticized NATO’s expansion. In a choice between supporting Ukraine and maintaining good relations with Putin, Ukraine’s legitimate interests will likely be sacrificed.”

“If figures like Musk, Thiel, and Sacks align with the Kremlin and use their resources to support Europe’s far-right radicals and dismantle center-right parties, free Europe faces a grim future.”

This scenario is highly likely.

But, as the specter of totalitarianism looms, is there hope?

“The good forces in our societies must be unleashed and encouraged to curb the bad ones. A heavy responsibility now rests on Europe’s moderate right,” Ehrenkrona concludes. It is clear he has the collapse of the GOP in the U.S.A. in mind.

The specter of a “genetically modified fascism” is haunting Europe and other parts of the world.

As our Zeitgeist lends itself to gloomy predictions, we may soon need democratic coalitions across the social spectrum, with native Europeans and migrant communities uniting to defend the enduring values of humanism.