Civilizational politics is reshaping the international political landscape as figures in Washington and across the globe embrace an ideology that divides the world into rigid regional blocks, appunti.substack.com reported.
This worldview rejects traditional post-Cold War globalization in favor of ancient cultural identities.
Stanford University established the Civilizationism Project to examine how leaders use civilizational crisis rhetoric to justify authoritarian governance, from Turkish neo-Ottomanism to white Christian nationalism in the United States, according to appunti.substack.com.
Sociologist Rogers Brubaker coined the term “civilizationism” in 2017 to describe political movements that sort nations into spheres dominated by a single hegemon, appunti.substack.com reported in a saggio analysis.
Marco Rubio Pitches Civilizational Rhetoric in Athens
On Oct. 7, 2025, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio delivered a high-profile address on the Pnyx in Athens with the illuminated Partenon in the background. Analysts widely interpreted the speech as an informal launch for a 2028 presidential run, appunti.substack.com reported.
Rubio invoked the Greek concept of thymos—the spirited pride behind historic civilizations—and urged Europe to awaken from its long sleep to avoid a future of decline.
He framed Western culture as an exclusive heritage belonging to specific peoples with distinct traditions.
Vice President JD Vance praised Rubio’s address, echoing themes he introduced in February 2025 at the Munich Security Conference where he argued that the greatest threat to Western civilization comes from within Europe itself, appunti.substack.com reported.
Scholars Gregorio Bettiza, Derek Bolton, and David Lewis wrote in a 2023 International Studies Review study that this civilizational focus is an ideological reaction against the globalization of the liberal order.
Cultural Hegemony Outlasts Electoral Defeats
The new American right views liberalism not as the foundation of Western civilization, but as its cancer, according to appunti.substack.com. This strategy urges the United States to abandon multilateral interventions, manage regional spheres of power alongside Beijing and Moscow, and tolerate friendly European right-wing nationalist movements.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is civilizationism?
Civilizationism is a political and cultural movement that groups the world into distinct geographical blocks led by regional hegemons based on shared cultural and religious ancestry rather than open democratic creeds.
How do political figures use the concept of civilizational crisis?
Politicians utilize the rhetoric of civilizational crisis to frame immigration and globalization as existential threats, making authoritarian or nationalist projects appear presentable to the international public.
Which academic institutions study this political trend?
Stanford University hosts the Civilizationism Project, a network of scholars studying how civilizational language justifies various forms of authoritarianism worldwide.