A nationalist rebellion is building against the internationalist order that has dominated Western policy for eight decades, according to a recent essay by J.B. Shurk in American Thinker. The piece argues that a coalition of populist leadersâfrom Europe to South Americaâis challenging a globalist system they contend has concentrated power in a small elite.
What the author calls “globalism” is described as a framework championed by international institutions, multinational corporations, and wealthy stakeholders, which has advanced through centralized markets and bureaucratic regulation. Shurk writes that this system speaks of democracy while allegedly ignoring or even criminalizing the will of the people, particularly regarding immigration.
According to the essay, citizens across Western nations have opposed open-border policies that critics say have brought unassimilable immigrants into their countries. In response, the author asserts, globalists have labeled such dissent as hate speech and censored or prosecuted individuals for their public statements and social media activity. The piece contends these actions protect governments from criticism rather than uphold free expression.
A Backlash Against Free-Market Rhetoric
The essay also argues that globalism’s embrace of “free markets” is largely rhetorical. Shurk lists heavy regulation of industry, property use restrictions, and manipulation of currencies and stock markets as contrary examples. The author points to central banks printing money, which is seen as inflationary and harmful to savers, and carbon controls justified by climate fears as interference in energy and production.
Critics of this globalist model, per the essay, see it as overstepping into every corner of economic life, from welfare programs that redistribute income to policies that allegedly allow squattersâoften described as foreign migrantsâto occupy private residences.
The piece emphasizes that culture and nation are the true sources of societal strength. As Shurk notes, when people achieve great feats, they fly national flags, not those of international bodies like the United Nations or World Economic Forum. âCulture is the lifeblood of every society,” the author writes, arguing it binds people together and transforms dreams into reality.
Trump as the Movement’s Leader
Shurk identifies Donald Trump as the “unofficial leader” of this emerging nationalist movement, noting his “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) slogan has been adopted by like-minded figures globally. The essay lists Pat Buchanan, Shinzo Abe, Marine Le Pen, Geert Wilders, Jair Bolsonaro, Javier Milei, Alice Weidel, and Nigel Farage as among those sharing a common commitment to national duty over international governance.
Trumpâs presidency, the author argues, has inspired parallel campaigns in countries from El Salvador and Nigeria to Spain, Australia, Canada, and India. While globalism pushes an ideal of multiculturalism that diminishes national culture, these new nationalist leaders believe that shared identity and common sense are essential for a society to thrive.
Economic and Social Consequences
The essay levels sharp criticism at trade agreements like NAFTA, claiming they benefited large conglomerates at the expense of small businesses and Main Street. What globalists called free trade, Shurk argues, actually created monopolies and led to the disappearance of mom-and-pop shops, replaced by global corporate entities deemed “too big to fail.”
This interconnected corporate structure is described as so fragile that one failing part could trigger a systemic collapse, comparing global finance to a morbidly obese man a single meal away from a heart attack.
Shurk also contends that globalism has weakened national self-sufficiency, pointing to what is described as slave labor in communist China, India, and much of Africa, and environmental degradation in third-world countries lacking protections. The essay further alleges that companies exploit immigration flows and work visas to suppress wages and raise the cost of housing and foodâproblems that the author says corporate media have largely ignored.
A Revival of National Pride
The author explains the nationalist resurgence as a direct response to the perceived failures of globalism: social conflict, government dependence, addiction, declining public health, environmental damage, and cultural erosion. According to Shurk, these consequences have appeared in every nation that globalism has drained of its resources and vitality.
The piece concludes that people are rejecting the globalist vision in favor of a return to national traditions and identities. It suggests that human beings inherently understand the value of their own customs, religions, and historical memoriesâand that this instinct is now driving a counter-revolution equal in force to the globalist advance since WWII.
The essay ultimately frames this movement not as isolationist but as a blueprint for international renewal: by making each nation great again, its leaders hope to build a more resilient world order from the bottom up.
Source: www.americanthinker.com â https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/09/making-the-world-great-one-nation-at-a-time/