Standing in a brown Nehru collared suit before a light blue backdrop emblazoned with “National Conservatism,” the Indian politician Ram Madhav delivered a 20-minute address at the July 2024 National Conservatism Conference in Washington, D.C. Madhav denounced the ills of global “left-liberal ideology” and pledged the fealty of the Indian right to the global national conservative movement. Among his targets was “unbridled illegal immigration in the name of ‘multiculturalism’”—a curious emphasis, given that Indian nationals constitute one of the fastest-growing unauthorized immigrant populations in the United States. Madhav appeared to be reaching for common ground with his right-wing hosts. Striking as it was, appearances like Madhav’s are increasingly common as right-wing populist forces reshape the foreign policies of several of the world’s middle powers—and with them, the landscape of the world order.

In January, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney won widespread praise when he called for middle powers to stand up to Washington and help resuscitate liberal internationalism. But leaders seeking to build a constructive order for the mid-21st century must be clear-eyed about the political realities they face. The fact is that many middle powers, and the right-wing populists who run them, find U.S. President Donald Trump’s vision for the world more compelling than Carney’s. From Latin America to Europe to Asia, they are advancing an agenda that centers national sovereignty, the enduring differences between nations and civilizations, and the right of states to act on their own terms rather than defer to international institutions.

Standing in a brown Nehru collared suit before a light blue backdrop emblazoned with “National Conservatism,” the Indian politician Ram Madhav delivered a 20-minute address at the July 2024 National Conservatism Conference in Washington, D.C. Madhav denounced the ills of global “left-liberal ideology” and pledged the fealty of the Indian right to the global national conservative movement. Among his targets was “unbridled illegal immigration in the name of ‘multiculturalism’”—a curious emphasis, given that Indian nationals constitute one of the fastest-growing unauthorized immigrant populations in the United States. Madhav appeared to be reaching for common ground with his right-wing hosts. Striking as it was, appearances like Madhav’s are increasingly common as right-wing populist forces reshape the foreign policies of several of the world’s middle powers—and with them, the landscape of the world order.

In January, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney won widespread praise when he called for middle powers to stand up to Washington and help resuscitate liberal internationalism. But leaders seeking to build a constructive........

© Foreign Policy