The Other F Word: Ruth Ben-Ghiat On The Rise of Fascism Abroad & At Home | Rik's Mind Podcast Ep 113

Italy’s recent elections have seen the rise of the “Brothers of Italy” party led by Giorgia Meloni. Billed as “center right”, the Brothers of Italy have raised several alarms.

With Meloni at the head of a coalition whose other members include Matteo Salvini’s League and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia, these members were each once the main force on Italy’s populist right. In the words of today’s guest Professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat, the Brothers of Italy have “an underlying and sinister familiarity.” Although fascism is not an exclusively Italian problem. The world is going through a kind of fascist renaissance and the United States isn’t immune. Ruth Ben-Ghiat joins us to sound the alarm on rising forces in American politics including Donald Trump and everyone’s favorite wanna be dictator Gov. Ron DeSantis (FL).

Ruth Ben-Ghiat

Professor of History and Italian Studies, New York University

Ruth Ben-Ghiat is a historian who writes about authoritarianism, democracy protection, and propaganda. She is Professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University, the recipient of Guggenheim and other fellowships, and Advisor to Protect Democracy. She is an MSNBC opinion columnist, a regular contributor to CNN and The Washington Post, and provides live commentary on CNN, MSNBC, and other networks. She publishes Lucid, a newsletter on threats to democracy. Her latest book, Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present, looks at how illiberal leaders use propaganda, corruption, violence, and machismo - and how they can be defeated. You can find more about Ruth on her website ruthbenghiat.com and on Twitter @ruthbenghiat