Liberal democrats have been circling the wagons, and nowhere more so than in the EU. The bloc sees itself as the bulwark for the rule of law, democracy and international rules against autocratic populism.
Fighting for the rule of law and liberal values is a noble cause. But it comes with a risk of inadvertently ennobling its opponents. Liberalism’s defenders often treat illiberal leaders as formidable champions of a rival ideological outlook when their motives are often much grubbier.
Consider Stephen Bannon’s recent troubles. US President Donald Trump’s first svengali was the author of the inauguration speech promising to stop “American carnage”, and a self-appointed deconstructor of the administrative state. Mr Bannon was once treated with the awe befitting a populist Faust single-handedly making battle with the Enlightenment.