You might know the name but figuring out the person is much harder. Steve Bannon is not the American Patriot he portends; his beliefs are too big for one country. He follows an ideology called Traditionalism, a mess of mystical, racist, spirituality that is opposed to all that is modern or democratic. He has worked to advance his Traditionalist agenda around the world. He was instrumental in England’s Brexit, he has worked to undermine Germany, NATO and the UN.
Steve Bannon is the elitist puke that he despises. He is opposed to immigration, trade, alliances, and nearly everything that has made our country great. He believes in the superiority of the Aryan Race, but not in the colloquial sense. Discussions about aryan superiority normally boil down to simply skinheads and big boots. Bannon is above that, though he is willing to use skinheads to advance his cause. In Bannon’s Traditionalist dreamworld, being a superior aryan is more than just skin tone, it includes religion, and culture.
Bannon is an opportunistic user, like Trump, but much smarter. Bannon believes that our society must be destroyed so that the world can come back better. Trump serves a purpose because he is a destroyer and is undermining America’s standing in the world, and dividing us at home. Bannon knows that the quickest way to bring America down is to attack our racial fissures. Trump’s dislike of minorities and respect for white supremacists is no accident. Trump didn’t have a plan when elected, you now see Bannon’s vision in everything that Trump has done.
Like Vladimir Putin, Steve Bannon knows that race is the closest thing America has to an Achilles heel. This is where the Alt-Right, or White Nationalists come in. This is where Monuments, Gun Rights, and demonstrations over BLM have been helpful. Anyplace where the United States can be divided is an attractive target. Conveniently, Bannon believes that an alliance with Russia (an Aryan Nation) will help to expedite the necessary American deconstruction process. Bannon claims to want to “protect and promote the spiritual wellbeing of the American working class.” While that is commendable, and we all need help with our “spiritual wellbeing,” Bannon believes that starting a race war and undermining America’s standing in the world are necessary hurdles in that pursuit.
Reading Recommendations:
Aceves, William J. Virtual Hatred: How Russia Tried to Start a Race War in the United States. Michigan Journal of Race and Law, 2019. https://repository.law.umich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1290&context=mjrl
Belew, Kathleen. Bring the War Home: The White Power Movement and Paramilitary America. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2019.
Calabresi, Massimo. Inside Russia’s Social Media War on America. TIME, 2017.
Dorfman, Zach. Why Russia Will Keep Poking America’s Racial Wounds. Axios, 2020. https://www.axios.com/russian-interference-2020-election-racial-injustice-7fa6a49b-03b4-4dc6-898d-fa589f9f0e6a.html
Green, Joshua. Devil’s Bargain: Steve Bannon, Donald Trump, and the Nationalist Uprising. New York: Penguin Books, 2018.
Nance, Malcolm. The Plot to Destroy Democracy: How Putin and His Spies Are Undermining America and Dismantling the West. Hachette Books, 2019.
Teitelbaum, Benjamin R. War for Eternity: Inside Bannon’s Far-Right Circle of Global Power Brokers. New York: Dey Street Books, 2020.
