Matt Lewis writes:

National populists—the same people who are dogmatic about protecting national borders—are in a tough spot right now, thanks to Vladimir Putin’s war of aggression on Ukraine.

The same ultra-nationalists passionate about building a wall on the U.S.’ southern border, or obliterating the EU and returning to hard borders among European nation states—seemed utterly unconcerned about Ukraine’s borders during the run-up to war. These folks are also known for the fetishization of masculinity and toughness, and yet they suddenly became introspective, nuanced, and dovish in their excuses for Putin’s invasion of a sovereign nation.

Up until now, the ultranationalists enjoyed the luxury of criticizing the establishment without having to accept any actual responsibility. In their minds, the elites of both parties were always effete, decadent, and bumbling—regardless of what they said or did. Opposing whatever they said carried little risk.

So when the Biden “regime” and the “corporate media” started warning about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, the nationalists reacted with mockery, working off of the assumption that this was all so much globalist hyperventilating.

Instead, Putin called their bluff, and the national populists became the dog who caught the car. And by catching the car, I mean, slamming into it. Suddenly, inconsistencies that could once be swept under the rug by the national populists (hereafter, referred to as “natcons”) were now impossible to avoid. [Continue reading…]