The Crisis of the Center and the Contest for the Future w/ Katrina vanden Heuvel

In this timely conversation, Parallax Views host J.G. Michael sits down with The Nation's editorial director and longtime progressive voice Katrina vanden Heuvel to discuss the mounting political crises shaking both Europe and the United States. Drawing from her recent co-authored piece, "Report from Europe: The Center Does Not Hold," and her Mother's Day commentary in The Guardian, vanden Heuvel explores the dangers of austerity politics, the failure of centrist consensus, and the rise of far-right insurgencies across the across Europe.

We examine how neoliberal economic policies have fueled disillusionment and opened space for authoritarian insurgents, and why a fragmented left has struggled to respond with a cohesive, inspiring alternative. From the U.K. to France to the U.S., this episode unpacks the urgent need for bold progressive politics, social investment, and renewed democratic vision in the face of political polarization and inequality.

We also discuss the controversial figure of Jean-Luc Mélenchon in France and his importance; the return of Nigel Farage to British politics and the possibility of Reform UK gaining power; European centrism's embrace of bypassing austerity for military purposes BUT not social programs; and how the right doesn’t own pro-family policy, nor does it own concepts like freedom or patriotism. At the end of the conversation, Katrina shares her thoughts on the Abundance Movement and Ezra Klein.

Essential listening for anyone concerned with the future of democracy, the right-wing insurgency in the U.S. and Europe, and the challenges — and opportunities — facing the global left.