From grand ideologies to nano-ideologies: Operational belief systems and geopolitical alignment in the 21st century

Abstract

This article argues that while classical, system‑building ideologies have not disappeared, they no longer function as the primary infrastructures of large‑scale mobilization and alignment in the post‑Cold War international order. It introduces the concept of nano‑ideologies — operational, issue‑centered belief systems that mobilize consent under conditions of perceived crisis through normative compression and urgency‑driven framing. Unlike comprehensive doctrines, nano‑ideologies are temporally contingent and strategically volatile; unlike ordinary issue frames, they generate strong expectations of alignment and narrow the space for legitimate dissent. Drawing on concept‑building methodology and engaging debates on ideology, securitization, and framing, the article situates nano‑ideologies within a typological spectrum running from grand ideological systems to purely discursive frames. Three illustrative cases – the war on terror, pandemic governance during COVID‑19, and Western support for Ukraine – show how nano‑ideologies emerge, consolidate, and erode, and how their operational instability can produce backlash dynamics that exceed their initial scope.