Liberal democracy is in crisis. The values associated with liberalism – from individual rights to democratic governance, equality before the law, and free-market principles – have been attacked not just by intellectuals but by the political actors and institutions that are constitutive of democratic political systems. These challenges are best illustrated in the rise of right-wing nationalist movements and parties across the world, from the BJP in India, the Law and Justice party in Poland, Fratelli d’Italia, and Fidesz in Hungary to Trumpism in the US, and the coalition of far-right politicians and parties that constitute Israel’s government. Even where the right has not seized power, political parties such as the National Rally in France, the Sweden Democrats and Alternative für Deutschland in Germany have increased in strength as their hard-right ideas have moved mainstream.
With the waning of liberalism comes a new vision, for three fundamental political concepts: the law, the state and the people. The champions of what is called post-liberalism offer an alternative that collapses the distinction between these categories: the law becomes whatever serves the interests of “the people”, with the state charged with its implementation. This vision is rooted in a particular political theology that regards nations as divine creations and their preservation a sacred act whose fulfilment overrides all other laws. Understanding the theological dimensions of the post-liberal vision is necessary both to grasping its global appeal and in offering a viable alternative.
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