One of the paradoxes of contemporary history is that political shifts in the United States—particularly during the Trump era—unexpectedly brought certain elements of US policymaking closer to the policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In a post-Cold War world order shaped by neoliberalism and globalisation, two political movements—the Trumpist movement in the US and the Islamic Republic in Iran—have increasingly challenged this global order.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, successive US administrations, confident in their civilizational and economic superiority, pursued a neoliberal agenda on a global scale. This agenda included economic liberalisation, financialisation, military interventions in the Middle East, and the spread of a global culture that aimed to eliminate ethnic, religious, and gender distinctions.

In stark contrast, the rise of the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement led by Donald Trump marked a turning point in American politics. Trump’s policies—returning to national economics, opposing globalisation, and reviving traditional gender roles and the institution of the family—posed a serious challenge to the prevailing neoliberal discourse. At the same time, he launched a cultural war against liberal values, rooted in religious, nationalist, and conservative traditions.

Strikingly, many of........

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