The Problem with Radical Centrists

Why I Disdain Dogmatic Centrists

What frustrates me most about the chaos unfolding in Europe today—and national politics in my native Norway—is the collective shock. As if Trump’s actions were somehow unforeseeable.

I belong to the radical left, and we have long warned about Donald Trump and the MAGA movement. We saw this coming. But radical centrists have spent years downplaying and sugarcoating the threat, not because they were ignorant, but because they refused to take radical action. That is the fundamental flaw of centrism: it is so dogmatically committed to "moderation" that it becomes incapable of responding decisively when dramatic changes demand bold action.

Centrists embody Neville Chamberlain all too perfectly. Their failed politics should be evident by now, yet for years, they berated leftists for being too radical, smugly wearing their centrist credentials as proof of their superior rationality, sensibility, and objectivity. But where has that gotten us?

Obama did little when Russian interference compromised U.S. elections and enabled Trump’s victory. Biden, despite four years in office, did virtually nothing to safeguard American democracy from the radical MAGA movement’s inevitable return. Instead, centrists sleepwalked the world into chaos.

The Paralysis of Dogmatic Centrism

This reminds me of a story about Japan’s emergency responders: paramedics rushing to help an injured person stopped at a red light and waited—despite no cars being present. They refused to cross because that would be breaking the rules.

Too many in the political establishment operate the same way. They cling to conventions of international diplomacy, assuming America will continue to behave as it always has. The obvious response would have been to actually read MAGA’s platform—Elon Musk’s tweets, Trump’s rants, Project 2025, online discussions, the rhetoric of their most popular pundits. Or just look at January 6th. Everything about their radicalism was blindingly obvious.

There are echoes here of 1933 and the rise of the Nazis. Leftist politicians understood the danger Hitler posed, but centrists clung to their illusions despite Mein Kampf laying out his agenda in explicit terms. My grandfather had an encyclopedia published in 1939 that described Hitler as "controversial but potentially Europe’s savior." I hear the same delusional centrism today when people suggest Trump "might" bring peace to Ukraine. Of course, he won’t. That much is obvious. There is no secret strategy, no 4D chess.

For years, centrists scoffed when we called Trump a fascist. Even I hesitated, usually calling him a quasi-fascist. But now, on March 6, 2025, as I write this, do any phrases sound more ridiculous than Trump Derangement Syndrome?

When a storm is upon you, you must act decisively.

What Centrists Must Accept

1. The U.S. under Trump is not an ally but an adversary, aligned with Putin. He imposes tariffs on Europe and Canada—but not Russia.

2. Zelenskyy can beg all he wants; there will never be a worthy peace deal initiated by Trump.

3. Appeasement of Trump will not work. Call his bluff. Tell him NATO doesn’t want him. Either he backs down, or we proceed with what was always inevitable.

4. The world is changing, and no amount of cautious diplomacy will stop it.

When I challenge centrists, they often respond with "What are you supposed to do then?"—as if the only two choices are appeasement or dictatorship. But there is a vast space between being a mealy-mouthed moderate and an authoritarian strongman.

Start Playing Hardball

Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario, demonstrated what can be done. He threatened to cut off power to Northern U.S. states, where 5.6 million American homes rely on Canadian electricity. This is leverage.

Europe has similar leverage. We buy vast amounts of American weapons. Why not threaten to cut off all U.S. military purchases?

In the U.S., Democrats should shift from being a normal, responsible governing party to being a resistance organization. They should obstruct everything. If Norway were occupied, we wouldn’t help Nazis run the country—we would sabotage them. That doesn’t just mean blowing up factories and railroads; it also means slow-walking work, refusing to implement ideological programs, and resisting in every form possible.

You cannot play normal politics in a situation that isn’t normal. Western leaders must explicitly condemn Trump instead of tiptoeing around him. Canadians, Europeans, Australians, and New Zealanders should stand together and support Denmark, Greenland, and Panama against U.S. aggression. Do not let fellow sovereign nations stand alone against a superpower-turned-bully.

And should we ever regain power, dismantling MAGA must be a priority. That means passing laws allowing propaganda outlets like Fox News to be sued for deliberate misinformation. Media should be held to ethical standards. Norway has an independent media watchdog, and it has helped keep journalism more honest. The U.S. should consider similar steps:

1. Diverse Ownership – Prevent a few billionaires from controlling massive media outlets.

2. Non-Profit Trusts – Consider making certain platforms non-profits to curb profit-driven disinformation.

3. Breaking Up Media Monopolies – Split up media conglomerates to encourage competition and prevent monopolization.

4. Ethics Boards – Establish independent panels to oversee algorithms and content moderation.

These aren’t silver bullets, but they illustrate that there are concrete steps available. The same goes for education. Schools today focus too much on memorizing facts and not enough on teaching students how to recognize propaganda, conspiracy theories, and manipulation.

The Need for Media Literacy

We should train students in debunking conspiracy theories as a core curriculum. Have them research counterpoints to common conspiracies—Flat Earth, QAnon, climate denial, anti-vaccine rhetoric, white replacement theory, Eurabian myths. Teach them how these narratives spread and why people fall for them.

Currently, schools train students as if they will only encounter reliable information. It’s like training a boxer by letting them punch a sandbag without ever having them spar with a live opponent. We must teach students to detect and deconstruct lies in real time.

This training is not just about future generations. It could also help young people steer their own parents away from radicalization.

No More Appeasement

Finally, politicians who attempted to overthrow democracy must be prosecuted. The response to the January 6th insurrection was far too weak—classic radical centrist appeasement. Too concerned with "keeping the peace" and not "upsetting Trump supporters." That luxury no longer exists. The response should have been harsher, targeting not just foot soldiers but those who orchestrated the attack.

Europe also failed in its dealings with Trump. We papered over serious problems. When he floated the annexation of Greenland, we should have drawn a firm line—no invitations, no diplomacy, until he abandoned such rhetoric. Instead, we let him continue his tirades without consequence, emboldening him further.

This is also a question of self-respect.

Who are we if we allow someone to treat us like this? It’s like a man standing by while someone insults his wife, too afraid to push back. That is how centrists appear today—spineless, cowardly, devoid of principle.

The world is at a crossroads. Centrists must wake up and realize the time for business-as-usual has passed. They must finally abandon the failed strategy of compromise with fascism and start fighting back.

A Note on Neoliberals

Perhaps some of the people I have most disdain for are the smug neoliberals. They like to parade themselves around as the sensible pick between the oh so radical woke left and the crazy right. Except it is their politics which has run the world for decades. It didn’t work. Right-wing extremism grew on their watch. Why on Earth should we keep repeating the same failed formula yet again?

The fundamental problem of Neoliberalism is that it is so hands-off that it doesn’t actually do anything when all can see the media system is going totally awry, and growing inequality polarizing people. Neoliberalism is the ones who cared little for growing inequality, unsustainable level of immigration, property prices running wild, social media becoming a megaphone for extremism. Their solutions has always just been more markets, more free trade, more free movement of people, more deregulation. More of everything that just hasn’t worked. Well it has helped grow economies. I am not denying the economic advantages of our globalized free trade capitalist world. But all of that has been bought on the back letting societal dysfunctions grow out of hand. Long term viable societies is not merely a question of generating enough big cash piles.