British Journal of Politics & International Relations
Cyclicality in reactionary internationalism: A genealogy of Realist, Spenglerian, and New Right theories of historical change
2026-07-29
Reactionary actors from Lavrov to Trump often appeal to ‘realism’ in denouncing the liberal rights-based international order. What makes Realism and contemporary New Right ethno-nationalist politics conceptually compatible? Examining the intertwined intellectual histories of their conceptualisations of time and historical change, we find that early Realism adopted from ethno-geopolitics a theory of historical change as perpetually recurring cycles of survivalist struggle. We first retrieve the intellectual history of cyclical theories in international thought and Realist traditions, showing how they were drawn from 19th-century German ethno-geopolitics. Second, we map their influence on contemporary New Right nationalism. The history of cyclical temporal theory reveals that early Realism and ethno-nationalism emerged as related and compatible strategies to manage Western decline. While most Realist International Relations isn’t necessarily ethno-nationalist, its theorisation of historical change as cyclical rise and decline through survivalist struggle has nonetheless come to support the global resurgence of New Right ethno-nationalism.