Authors Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor have warned that the world is living through what they call «end times fascism», pointing to the return of Donald Trump to the White House, the growing power of tech billionaires, the war in Gaza and the accelerating climate emergency.
The two writers make the argument in a new Guardian series, Radical Thinking, hosted by Aditya Chakrabortty. In an extended interview, they contend that the present moment is not simply a run of separate crises but a distinct and dangerous period in world history.
Klein and Taylor describe Gaza as «a moral tear in the universe», placing the conflict at the centre of their assessment of the current global condition. They link it to what they see as a broader pattern of political and humanitarian breakdown.
The series is published every Saturday in the Politics Weekly feed, with the first instalment now available. Across the discussion, the pair range from Trump 2.0 and the influence of technology billionaires to the climate emergency, arguing that these forces are converging rather than unfolding in isolation.
Despite their bleak diagnosis, Klein and Taylor say they have not abandoned hope. They argue that a fightback remains possible, framing their position as a call to action rather than a counsel of despair.
Klein is a widely read author and journalist known for her work on disaster capitalism, while Taylor is a writer and filmmaker whose work has focused on democracy, debt and organising. Their joint intervention adds to a growing body of commentary warning that democratic institutions and the global climate are under simultaneous strain.
The interview is presented as part of a wider effort to examine radical ideas at a time when mainstream political debate, in their view, is failing to meet the scale of the crises at hand. The programme is scheduled to continue weekly.
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