Inside the Global Right’s War Room: Signals from the IDU’s May 2025 Forum
A follow‑up to “The Bloc You’ve Never Heard Of (But Should)”—here’s what the International Democrat Union’s Brussels meeting means for democracy.
I wrote a popular piece about the IDU before its May summit—and you showed up in droves.
This follow‑up digs deeper: who actually sat in those Brussels backrooms (hello, Sebastian Kurz + Peter Thiel), why populist experiments in Canada and Australia spectacularly fizzled, and what it all means for the future of center‑right democracy worldwide.
Forget everything you think you know about global politics—there’s a secret power broker you’ve never heard of.
In May, the International Democrat Union (IDU) quietly gathered 500 delegates from 40+ countries in Brussels. No rallies. No live streams. Just closed‑door strategy.
Founded in 1983 by Reagan, Thatcher, and their allies, the IDU doesn’t run campaigns—it crafts the playbook. It doesn’t chase headlines—it sharpens the talking points.
Who showed up—and who didn’t—tells the real story of the global right: where it’s flexing muscle, and where it’s lying low. The IDU isn’t far‑right—but it’s far from neutral.
If you want to know how tomorrow’s elections will be won (or lost), this is where to start.
What the IDU Says It Believes
The International Democrat Union calls itself a “working association of over 80 center-right parties.” On paper, its values seem uncontroversial:
Support for democracy
Rule of law
Free markets
Freedom of speech and religion
What’s less obvious is how those values show up in the real world—and who the IDU believes upholds them.
When the IDU says “democracy,” it doesn’t mean just any democratic movement. It means late 20th century-style center-right democracy.
So, does it still hold to its principles, in this era of upheaval? Let’s look at the indicators.
The View from Brussels: Who Showed Up, Who Was Missing
At the IDU’s May 2025 Forum, attendees included:
Stephen Harper (IDU chair and former Canadian PM)
Scott Morrison (former Australian PM)
Sebastian Kurz, from Austria’s center-right
Mike McCaul (U.S. Congressman)
Kemi Badenoch and Boris Johnson, (UK Conservatives)
Notably absent?
Any visible representation from Trump-aligned Republicans
Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party (Hungary)
Far-right nationalist parties from Italy, France, or Germany
Right-wing social media influencers.
“Democracy is optional” techbros — but they had a stand-in. (More on this below.)
The message was clear: this is the professional wing of the global right. The ones in suits, not slogans. The ones who want to win elections, not incite coups.
Despite all this nostalgic back-slapping, dark clouds are on the horizon.
A Quiet Shift? Kurz, Thiel, and the Shadow of Techno-Authoritarianism
One name on the Brussels attendee list grabbed my attention: Sebastian Kurz, former Austrian chancellor and one-time wunderkind of European conservatism. He had a scrape with the law in the early 2020s and exited politics.
What’s problematic is that Kurz now works for Thiel Capital—the venture firm led by Peter Thiel, billionaire tech “libertarian” and longtime funder of nationalist and anti-democratic figures, including Donald Trump and J.D. Vance.
Thiel has publicly questioned the compatibility of democracy and freedom, supported “post-liberal” accelerationist ideas, and funded a new breed of political actors eager to dismantle liberal institutions from within.
So what does it mean when a key IDU figure like Kurz enters Thiel’s orbit?
It may signal a quiet but profound shift: away from traditional center-right statesmanship and toward a tech-funded, ideology-flexible, and potentially post-democratic vision of governance.
Kurz didn’t speak publicly in Brussels. But his presence alone suggests the IDU may be open—not to populism, exactly, but to a rebranding of conservatism that is less accountable, less traditional, and more aligned with Silicon Valley strongman chic.
In short: not the street-fighting far right, but the venture-backed billionaire far right.
How Should We Interpret This?
The IDU still goes to great lengths to keep out the most overtly extremist parties—no AfD, no Fidesz, no Le Pen’s Rassemblement National—so you won’t see an “Italian Brothers of Italy” or a Canadian People’s Party delegation at their Forum.
What you do find, however, are two kinds of hard‑right influence:
Respectable hard‑liners in member parties
Israel’s Likud (IDU member): Likud under Benjamin Netanyahu has shifted sharply right—annexation talk, support for illegal settler outposts, and a near‑blanket refusal to condemn the Gaza offensive. Its presence in IDU means those policies get a sympathetic hearing among center‑right peers.
Poland’s Law & Justice (PiS) isn’t a full member, but closely allied with IDU parties in Europe and routinely included in working groups—exporting its illiberal playbook on courts, media, and civil society.
Billionaire‑backed, post‑liberal vectors
Sebastian Kurz / Peter Thiel (Thiel Capital): Kurz’s turn from mainstream conservative wunderkind to Thiel‑aligned strategist is the clearest signal yet that the IDU’s professional circle is open to tech‑libertarian, accelerationist, and post‑democratic ideas idu.org
J.D. Vance & other Trump‑adjacents: While not formal attendees, the IDU publicly congratulated Trump and his picks (like Vance) in 2024, and IDU strategists regularly swap notes with GOP operatives who flirt with hard‑right populism X (formerly Twitter).
Bottom Line: The IDU still polices out the podcasting, street-fighting, radicalized far right—but its inside game is shifting.
Through stealth partnerships (Kurz + Thiel) and sympathetic member parties (Likud, PiS allies, Trump adjacents), it’s beginning to incubate a harder‑edged, post‑liberal conservatism that sits uneasily next to its Reagan‑Thatcher heritage.
If you care about where center‑right politics goes next, watching these vectors is just as important as watching who’s excluded at Brussels.
Where the IDU Plays
United States
They congratulated Trump & Vance in 2025—and then went quiet. No January 6 denouncements, no Trumpist speakers.
Translation: They’ll back GOP wins, just not the unruly MAGA style.
Canada & Australia
Harper’s network couldn’t save Poilievre or Dutton—both borrowed Trump’s playbook, both lost their seats. The IDU said nothing.
Translation: Populism flops. The IDU is rethinking its risk appetite.
Ukraine
Unambiguous support: military aid, sanctions, EU coordination.
Translation: Democracy vs. autocracy is non‑negotiable.
Gaza
Likud’s seat at the table guarantees a hands‑off stance on Gaza.
Translation: IDU’s “support democracy” stops at criticizing its strongest members.
Is the IDU Still a Power Player?
Don’t let the closed doors fool you—this isn’t a relic of the Cold War.
It trains the strategists, not just the headline‑grabbers.
It hosts the summits shaping center‑right campaigns in Europe, North America, and beyond.
It synchronizes the talking points that ring out from Ottawa to Oxford to Orlando.
It can’t pass laws or command armies, but it moves the Overton window, nudging what voters everywhere see as “acceptable.”
In an era of Twitter mobs and viral outrage, the IDU remains a quiet LinkedIn for global conservatives—with real sway over the scripts they all follow.
Why This Matters Now
The far‑right grabs headlines. But the IDU builds the machinery behind them—writing policy blueprints, training campaign staff, and forging cross‑border alliances that shape real‑world outcomes, not just social‑media chatter.
Right now, our consensus is fractured and our institutions strained. We don’t yet know which version of the “new right” the IDU will back:
Will it tip the scales toward justice—driving pro‑democracy wins and protecting freedom across borders?
Or will it stand by silently, allowing democracy to erode where “responsible” conservatism fails?
In the U.S., many remember when Republicans were statesmen—not cultists. When Reagan and Romney could forge bipartisan bills. The IDU could still embody that tradition—and it might be the last global structure with the standing to pull the right back from the edge.
But does it have the will? And does it still wield real influence in today’s chaotic political arena?
We don’t know—yet. That’s why we must keep watching, and acting.
What You Can Do Right Now
Share & Amplify
Forward this essay to colleagues, community lists, and social feeds.
Tag journalists and NGOs to spark their interest.
Support Pro‑Democracy Watchdogs
Donate to or volunteer with organizations that are still active in tracking cross‑border political influence, such as:
Transparency International (anti-corruption)
Alliance for Securing Democracy (foreign interference)
National Endowment for Democracy (democracy assistance)
Pressure Your Representatives
Email or tweet your U.S. Senators/Congress members (or MPs, MEPs, etc.) asking them to support greater transparency around international party funding and strategy exchanges.
Join the Conversation
Comment below with examples you’ve spotted of coordinated messaging—use #IDUWatch on X/Threads/Bluesky.
Follow and engage with key event hashtags during the next IDU forum.
Keep Tabs on the Next Forum
Bookmark the IDU’s events page and set a calendar reminder for their next meeting.
Watch attendee social feeds (e.g., Mike McCaul, Kemi Badenoch, Sebastian Kurz) for repeated talking points.
Act now: Pick one step above and do it today. Democracy thrives on engagement—let’s turn our awareness into action.
A Note of Thanks
To those of you who subscribed after the original IDU essay in March: thank you. You made it clear that this kind of deep, connective work matters.
If this post adds something new to your understanding, please consider sharing it—or forwarding it to someone else who’s been trying to connect the dots.
Hello, Enthusiast! I’m a former U.S. military intelligence analyst with a degree in international relations & history. The G.I. Bill funded my Master of Divinity, which I used to study world religions and contemplative practice.
If you’re feeling flush, please consider pitching in for a coffee. Many thanks, my friend!
Look me up when you’re on BlueSky, LinkedIn, Threads, or Medium!
More articles on the IDU and Peter Thiel:
The Quiet Power Bloc You’ve Never Heard Of: Why the IDU’s May 2025 Meeting Should Matter to Defenders of Democracy
You’ve probably never heard of the IDU—but it could shape elections in over 65 countries this year alone.
Accelerationism and the Dark Enlightenment: The Philosophies Fueling America's Current Chaos
The Unseen Forces Shaping Today's America