The globalist deep state is a conspiracy against the people. That's a myth that has been helped by the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the 2008 bailout of banks, Eurozone trouble, deepening inequality in the west and by the slow but steady rise of an elite with global values, culture and network. If you read this, you're most likely a member even if you doubt it, the elite isn't self-defined. But you could travel the world and profoundly enjoy interaction with fellow elitists on a post-nationalist level. The nation no longer strongly defines who you are. The populist response isn't atavistic but resonates with a need to feel secure in a group which is what people believe the nation-state still is.
The elite separates from the nation, globally, but also is culturally dominant and omnipresent in the media. Large numbers of people are incapable of joining it and participating. maybe they don't earn enough, aren't connected, aren't sufficiently educated or cultured, don't watch netfix, or don't read real newspapers but instead absorb fabricated news, a critical distinction. They feel resentment towards the elite, which is becoming a caricature in the populist political view. We've had enough of experts, we'll drain the swamp.
People retreat into the nation, electing populists who once in power are incapable of governing, completely out of their depth and are forced to play by the rules because the national apparatus they control is largely sterile and no longer can set rules. Rules play on a global stage because all vital political issues now play on a global stage. Economy, climate, automation. The nation as a myth is strong, people still believe it can be a potent force. But the globalized world has grown far too powerful over decades of unprecedented economic growth. Its unwritten but increasingly overt rules also are far too vital to the well being of everyone. Russia, a nation escaping from it, experiences a degree of isolation in its national cocoon and wages a war of ideas, pitting its narrative against the prevailing wind. And yet its oligarch elite controlling most of the wealth are overtly members of the globalized elite.
The intelligent response for the non-elite would be to organize on that same global level and create its own new global narrative, one that seeks more equality, global governance and accountability. But instead, most are being played by hate and fear mongering politicians who have learned how to master narrative building technologies on television and internet to their own benefit. This isn't the first time socialist ideals were destroyed by fascism but this time fascism is sterile (it is a nationalist force) while socialism actually has been calling for all workers of the world to unite, why, in order to achieve more equality and better governance. And socialism is making a comeback in Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn. What it lacks is a more positive vision and more global cohesion.
We elitists should go back to being global citizens, proud carries of global culture, capable of enjoying everything that this world has to offer. And we should encourage the growth of an international socialism as a political force in a global political duality. The phase we're in now is a distraction that keeps us from dealing with real issues. Climate, automation, economy.
