Summary
Overview
In this extensive interview, philosopher Eva von Redecker discusses her new book analyzing modern fascism through the lens of 'phantom property' and liquidating violence. The conversation ranges from Trump's foreign policy and the attack on Iran to AI, capitalism, gender politics, and strategies for antifascist resistance. Von Redecker argues that contemporary fascism represents an unleashing of property logic—where power manifests as the ability to destroy what one claims to own, even if those claims are baseless. She connects this to ecological crisis, technological authoritarianism, and the breakdown of liberal democracy.
Iran, War, and the Return of Imperial Fascism
The conversation opens with reflections on recent U.S. military actions in Iran and the broader Middle East. Von Redecker argues that we're witnessing a rejection of the post-WWII international legal order, where raw power politics replace any pretense of justification. She sees Trump's approach—claiming Greenland, threatening Iran, seizing Venezuelan oil—as exemplifying fascist property logic: 'because you can.' This differs from earlier neoconservative wars that at least attempted elaborate justifications.
- Von Redecker was shocked by how quickly conflict escalated into war, though she expected fascist projects to involve enemy creation and violence
- Trump's actions represent an imperial project for the Middle East that's been developing for years
- The Iranian regime's brutality doesn't justify the military response—different logics of power are at play
- European governments are providing apologetic justification for what is clearly illegal under international law
- The shift represents moving from trying to civilize international politics to affirming that might makes right
" Die Macht des Stärkeren ist genau die faschistische Härte, um deren Entstehungsgründe es mir in dem Buch geht. "
" Wir erleben eigentlich eine Rücknahme dieser Ordnung. Also eigentlich hätte es weitergehen müssen auf dem Versuch, auch die internationale Politik zu zivilisieren... Und das ist wirklich gerade an eine Grenze gestoßen. "
States of Exception and Fascist Governance
Von Redecker explains how Trump's constant declaration of emergency states—from immigration to energy to food security—represents a core fascist technique. By governing through perpetual exception, normal legal constraints are suspended. She references Hannah Arendt's observation that fascist leaders openly announce their intentions, but people don't believe them because the plans sound too extreme. The fabrication of crises justifies the concentration of power and elimination of democratic checks.
- Trump has declared approximately twelve different states of emergency, including one for 'food security' used to increase glyphosate production
- Governing through permanent exception is central to why it's appropriate to speak of fascism
- The exception suspends normal law, claiming only strength can address the manufactured crisis
- Fascist rulers are not secretive—they clearly state what they'll do, but it sounds so absurd people don't believe them
- Trump's election fraud claims justify restructuring voting rights to exclude trans people, married women, and immigrants
" Dass sozusagen immer über den Ausnahmezustand regiert wird, ist, glaube ich, eines der zentralen Merkmale, weshalb es mir angemessen scheint, davon Faschismus zu reden. "
" Die faschistischen Herrscher sind zwar verlogen, aber nicht geheimniskrämerisch... sie immer haargenau vorhersagen, was sie tun werden, dass das nur so abwegig klingt, dass ihnen das keiner glaubt. "
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