04.05.2026

Outbidding Autocrats on Nationalism Only Strengthens Their Legitimacy

Filip Milačić • European Center for Populism Studies

In an interview with the European Center for Populism Studies (ECPS), our Senior Researcher Filip Milačić argues that the defense of democracy today requires not only institutional safeguards but also a re-engagement with the symbolic and affective dimensions of political life, while warning that outbidding autocrats on nationalism only strengthens their legitimacy. Read the full article here.