A recent episode of The Nation’s podcast The Time of Monsters explores the growing influence of far-right parties in Europe. Hosted by Jeet Heer, the discussion features David Broder, who argues that the trend is fueled by the failures of centrist governments, drawing on points he made in a recent essay for The New York Times.
On December 7, 2025, The Nation published an episode of its podcast series The Time of Monsters titled “The Rise of the Far Right in Europe.” Hosted by national affairs correspondent Jeet Heer, the program looks at the renewed strength of far-right politics across the continent.
The guest is David Broder, author of Mussolini’s Grandchildren and European editor for Jacobin magazine. As described in The Nation’s episode summary, Broder discusses how the actions of centrist governments have helped feed this shift toward extremist politics.
According to the episode description, only a few years ago European elites were congratulating themselves for having pushed back right-wing anti-system parties, often described as populists. But more recent polling in France, Germany and the United Kingdom shows far-right forces gaining traction again, a development the podcast links in part to centrist governments that have demoralized the public and legitimized xenophobia.
Heer’s conversation with Broder focuses on these decisions by mainstream parties, which the episode characterizes as having normalized xenophobic politics rather than containing them. The discussion also considers possible political alternatives and strategies for countering the far right from a progressive perspective.
The Nation notes that Broder recently wrote a wide‑ranging essay for The New York Times on these developments, and the podcast builds on arguments he made there about the broader implications of the far right’s advance.
The episode highlights the challenges facing European democracy amid the rise of extremist movements and stresses the importance of how traditional political forces respond. Listeners are encouraged to subscribe to The Nation to support ongoing coverage and podcasts like The Time of Monsters.
