Alt Reich by Nafeez Ahmed Book Review

Released: January 2025

Genre: Non-Fiction, Politics, Society

Number of Pages: 386

What do US President Donald Trump, the Heritage Foundation, 55 Tufton Street and Stephen Yaxley-Lennon have in common? They are all major participants in what journalist Nafeez Ahmed calls the “Alt Reich”. Since 2016, anyone paying attention to global politics has witnessed shocking shifts towards hateful discourse, inflammatory policies and the indoctrination of voters. All of this is part of a sinister plot to destroy democracy from within, one described over ten chapters and many sources.

Fascism was not destroyed at the end of World War Two; instead it slinked away and rebuilt its strength in closed circles throughout the west. In the digital age, the Alt Reich has grown into a well-funded and deeply organised movement, one that espouses white supremacy, corporate domination, eugenics, media control and other twisted ideologies. From the late 1940s all the way to the present, the author paints a detailed record of how and why the far right has become so powerful. Nafeez doesn’t hold back from any of the dark details as racism, mainstreamed ideas of long-termism and connections to the KKK and other neo-nazi groups are all referenced throughout.

These history lessons are a strong component, but the real meat and bones of Alt Reich is a long list of manipulative and deceitful individuals; it’s clear that Ahmed painstakingly built this makeshift dossier over years of research. From so-called online gurus like Jordan Peterson and Andrew Tate all the way to politicians like Marine Le Pen and Viktor Orban, all of them are closely connected by similar ideas, meetings at underhanded conferences and goals to dominate nations and cosy up to ultra-rich tech bros and dictators. As Ahmed points out, the consequences of these groups coming to power will be catastrophic for all of human civilization, especially when it comes to tackling both economic and environmental problems.

Recommended?

YES: Alt Reich is a deeply frightening and concerning read, but it’s easily the most timely and essential book I’ve read about modern politics. Nafeez has spent many years mapping out a network of dangerous individuals who aim to demolish and remake the western world in their own hideous image. The history is grim, the hidden mind-sets disturbing and the future possibilities extremely dire. This isn’t a book that you necessarily enjoy, but one that delivers a complete picture.