The age of the “cool” dictator: Lessons from the Latin American fight against the new far-right

Democracy is in crisis. Young people all over the world are turning to fascism as an alternative. This global shift to the (far-)right has tangible consequences, and Latin American leaders Nayib Bukele and Javier Milei are the clearest embodiment of this shift.

Bukele’s punitive populism have turned him into a darling of the global so-called alt-right and its ecosystem of reactionary communicators, tech bros and rebranded conservative politicians. Though Milei is a more polarizing figure in Argentinian politics, his often young fans and his close allies in the Global North have turned him into a libertarian icon. How can we push against their popularity and seemingly unstoppable propaganda machines?

Journalists, activists and political educators in the Salvadoran and Argentinian left saw this coming and have been fighting against these developments from the start. Collectives and communities in Latin America and beyond their borders are developing strategies to counter their narratives. The crisis of democracy cannot be solved by turning to fascism, but through a new concept of democracy built through collective organization and grassroots work.