Elon Musk’s quest for dominance has gone global

Recently, musk Spreading conspiracy theories about Islamic “grooming gangs” in the UK, and called for Tommy Robinson, the far-right activist, to be released from prison. Musk’s support for Robinson, who has a history of posting racist and Islamophobic content, initially led to UK reform leader Nigel Farage hitting back against Malik .

Farage told his viewers: “I don’t think (Robinson) is wrong in everything he says.” “I wonder why he is in prison, kept in solitary confinement.” (Robinson is in prison after being found guilty of contempt of court for repeating lies about a Syrian refugee.)

last year, Musk has spent months antagonizing Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes After the court ordered X to remove a small number of accounts and content that it said violated the law by undermining confidence in the integrity of the country’s elections. After right-wing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro lost his bid for re-election in 2022, his supporters demonstrated He stormed the country’s legislative council on January 8, 2023Claiming the election was stolen (it wasn’t), an echo of the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol. Moraes was strong Bolsonaro shows. X spent months refusing to comply, even handing over sealed court orders to the US Congressional Subcommittee on Arming the Federal Government, led by right-wing Congressman Jim Jordan, which then made them public.

At the time, many in Brazil felt that Musk’s actions, as well as issuing the orders, were a move to undermine the country’s democracy and sovereignty. A Brazilian court eventually issued an order banning X in the country for non-compliance and issued a fine against Musk’s Starlink company, after which X complied with the orders.

It is also severely Nicolas Maduro attackedPresident of Venezuela, during the elections that took place in the country (which many in the international community believe were fraudulent).

“It has established itself as a powerful communication center between different groups of people in many countries,” says Christian Katzenbach, professor of media and communications at the University of Bremen. These groups include people in the technology industry, moderate conservatives, advocates of economic liberalism, and right-wing movements. “These groups have not had many relationships in the past, but are increasingly aligning themselves in opposition to recent centre/left governments.” By amplifying a diverse range of voices, he says, Musk is actively bringing right-wing viewpoints into mainstream debates and opening up new demographics as voters for right-wing parties.

Even outside of elections, Musk appears to be building alliances with like-minded leaders. In April, Musk met with right-wing Argentine President Javier Miley. Miley’s government has cut spending in ways that Musk has not He said in X’s post “It will be a useful model for the rest of the world.” Poverty rate in Argentina under the Miley government It rose to more than 50 percent.

While Musk certainly appears to be driven by certain political ideologies, Katzenbach points out that Musk’s involvement in European politics could benefit his business interests, particularly by rolling back the bloc’s social media regulations or opening up new horizons for his companies. European Union currently Investigation X For violating the Digital Services Act (DSA), which may result in fines. In Italy, musk is Exploring a deal with the right-wing government led by Giorgia Meloni For a deal to launch satellite communications via Starlink worth $1.5 billion, which would compete with the European satellite initiative.

“His motivations at the international level are certainly mixed,” says Katzenbach. But either way, Musk seems determined to be a political force that transcends any national borders.

David Gilbert contributed reporting.