Good overview of a network that flies under the radar globally, that has even conservative claiming conspiracy, to deflect from their own passive or feigned ignorance of ageing electorates and voters; powered by nostalgia, ‘collective narcissism’ and ‘pensioner populism’.

Atlas has drawn together transnationally, national based think tanks nominally following free market libertarian socio-economic policies of Austrian-Chicago Schools, masking ‘segregation economist’ James Buchanan, John Birch Society, fossil fuels and related industries; protecting legacy investments and incomes into the future, see delay tactics of nuclear etc..

Like pre WWII US, Italy & Germany; Millei’s Argentina, Pinochet’s Chile, Franco’s Spain, Putin’s Russia, Orbán’s Hungary, Trump’s GOP, UK Tories/Reform, Murdoch led RW media, Charles Koch, Musk & Tech Bros. etc. share antipathy towards liberal democracy; labour, consumer & environmental regulation or standards; education & science; open society and empowered citizens.

See Atlas’ related successful outcomes in Brexit, Trump, The Voice No Campaign and Putin’s invasion of Ukraine highlights shared values of Atlas-Koch, Tanton-white Christian nationalists, Fox-Murdoch-Abbott et al, Hungarian PM ‘mini Putin’ Orbán, fossil fuels, oligarchs and Putin’s Russia.

Brexit exemplified the need to try break up their existential threat, ie. the EU, to avoid collective of European nation states with EU protection vs Atlas ‘globalists’ and their corporate sponsors preference for autarky; ‘libertarian trap’* and to avoid the ‘Brussels effect’ on supply chains & Digital Services Directive on BigTech.

They desire a return to inward looking nation states, ‘sustainable economies’ behind strong borders, no globalisation, no migration, no multilateral trade agreements or EU like blocs, no environmental regulation, low taxes, small government, no unions etc.

However, Atlas* et al will be running their influence transnationally and globally outside of nation state borders, electoral democracy, state rule of law, regulations and influence.