The Rise of Populism and International Security: Populism in the Uk and Us

Abstract

The rise of populism is a global issue which causes a prominence of populist parties throughout the world. The article analyses the impact of populist politics on international security strategies of sovereign states in contemporary politics. It assesses the influence of populism through two major aspects: nationalism and immigration. The rise of nationalism is assessed through the victory of Donald Trump in the US, and the Brexit campaign in the UK. The main issues for refugees are investigated through immigration to the UK, and the US administration's plan to build a wall on the US-Mexico border to stop immigrants to cross the border illegally. While these aspects have been national issues at the beginning, they turned into international crises short after their inception since these issues have affected the national and international security concerns of these states. Therefore, the article argues that the rise of populism has a direct influence on international security strategies of these powers. It also argues that the rise of populism is related to the rightwing populism and decisions made by populist leaders of the world. It uses the ideology of populism to understand the impact of these aspects on international security. It assesses these complicated issues through official statements, speeches of leaders of the UK and US, and reports published by the UK government and US administration and international organisations to understand whether populist policies of the two administrations triggered their security concerns.