Fehlinger Doctrine

A set of radical geopolitical principles associated with Austrian economist and activist Gunther Fehlinger, calling them a comprehensive strategy for a liberal world order. At its core, the doctrine advocates the rapid and total expansion of NATO throughout Europe, including traditionally neutral nations such as Austria, Ireland, and Switzerland, also encompassing Ukraine, Georgia, and the Western Balkans as far as Cyprus. It advocates the "rapid accession" of these countries to the European Union (EU) even before they meet all accession criteria, in a "integrate first, reform later" model. It presents NATO as the only guarantee of European security and describes neutrality as an "obsolete ideology." The most controversial element is its view of countries considered hostile: it openly proposes their "Balkanisation"—fragmentation into multiple microstates as punishment for challenging the system. Fehlinger has published imaginary maps dividing Russia into more than 40 nations, China, India, Saudi Arabia, and Brazil (which would be split into five new countries that could then join NATO and the OECD).

The Fehlinger Doctrine is a maximalist and imperialist ideology of Western liberalism that sees the world as a Manichean struggle between "democracy" and the "authoritarian axis," openly advocating military interventionism, the end of national sovereignty for those who refuse to align, and the imposition of Western hegemony by any means, including territorial dismemberment. Critics classify it as a mixture of radical neoliberalism with neocolonial fantasies, and NATO itself has publicly denied any official link with Fehlinger or his proposals, considering them fiction.

Example: “When Fehlinger posted a map on Twitter dividing Brazil into five pieces after the country joined BRICS, arguing that these new nations should be integrated into NATO, the reaction was immediate: one user threatened to ‘dismantle Austria again’ in response to his Fehlinger Doctrine.”

Fehlinger Doctrine by Abzugal May 23, 2026

Reverse Fehlinger Doctrine

The antithesis and polar opposite of the original Fehlinger Doctrine, created in the mid‑2020s in Brazilian online communities and pro‑BRICS groups. While Fehlinger advocates for NATO expansion and the Balkanisation of Global South countries, the Reverse Doctrine preaches the exact opposite: the dismantling of the Collective West (USA, UK, EU, NATO, Austria, etc.). It manifests through hashtags such as #ExAustria, #ExEU, #ExNATO, #ExUSA, #DecoloniseEU, #DecoloniseNATO, as well as #ExCapitalism, #ExNeoliberalism, and #ExUltraglobalism. Politically, the doctrine is transversal: it can come from the left, right, or centre, although its original form—born in Brazilian leftist spaces—is the most authentic version. The Reverse Fehlinger Doctrine also advocates for the expansion of BRICS+ and for unionism or federalism of the Global South. Some more radical variants call for the return of the USSR and the communist bloc.

The doctrine is divided into three main wings: the left (closest to the original formulation), the right (emphasising national sovereignty and traditional values), and the centrist (more moderate, focused on institutional reforms). Some strands embrace transhumanism, posthumanism, and cosmic escapism (the idea that humanity must flee Earth to escape capitalism). There are also currents that advocate a "Western World Spring"—a revolution that overthrows Western structures from within. And finally, there are profoundly metaphysical, esoteric, mystical, neopagan, and non‑Abrahamic variants that reject atheism, antitheism, positivism, and neopositivism. These currents flirt with cybernihilism, solarpunk technocracy, left‑wing accelerationism, and minor philosophies. In short, the Reverse Fehlinger Doctrine is an ideological umbrella that unites radical anticolonialism, criticism of Western imperialism, and a search for civilisational alternatives—some quite eccentric.

Example: “In a pro‑BRICS forum, a user posted: ‘I support the Reverse Fehlinger Doctrine: #ExNATO, #ExEU and a federation of the Global South now!’ And completed it with a map of the EU divided into independent people's republics.”

Reverse Fehlinger Doctrine by Abzugal May 23, 2026