The Aug. 3 Sunday New York Times included an article headlined “The Global Machine Behind the Rise of Far-Right Nationalism.” It chronicles the efforts of Russian operatives and neo-Nazi supporters to undermine Sweden’s commitment to pluralism and democracy. But in exposing the dirty tricks of the anti-immigrant “Sweden Democratic” party and its Russian conspirators, the article never mentions the word “fascism.”

We associate “fascism” with Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini – the Nazi/fascist menace we defeated in World War II at the cost of millions of lives. During the Cold War, when someone was called a “communist,” the response was often to hit back with “fascist.” We hear echoes of the word from time to time in animated political speech, and most of us pay it little attention.

“Fascism” can seem a relic of the past century. But it is time to re-examine this word in today’s terms, to see if it is just a historical anecdote or constitutes a real and present danger to democracy and to values of fairness, decency, caring, justice, equality, diversity, peace and freedom. The danger of using the term loosely – such as to describe as “fascist” people who consider themselves “conservatives” – is matched by the danger of assuming that fascism no longer poses a genuine threat, or applies to only a few strongman dictators.

Let’s consider if this word, “fascism,” accurately describes growing conditions in the world and in America.

My dictionary, after recounting its history, says “fascism tends to include a belief in the supremacy of one national or ethnic group, a contempt for democracy, an insistence on obedience to a powerful leader, and a strong demagogic approach.”

But this definition leaves out what is perhaps fascism’s major threat: the belief that “might makes right,” that “non-whites endanger our civilization,” that “staying in power by any means is the goal,” that “opposition to a fascist ruler is unpatriotic and justifies beatings, torture and murder,” and that once a nation allows fascists to take power – whether through elections or a coup d’etat – that nation will never again be permitted to freely change its mind. Only a revolution or military defeat by an anti-fascist force will restore the possibility of democracy.

Attraction to fascism arises out of fear of the “other,” disdain for compromise, a desire to overthrow the current political system, hatred of immigrants, and patriotic fervor, and it leads to attacks on the free press and an independent judiciary and condoning violence against those who disagree. Many would claim that these conditions already exist in Russia, Turkey, Poland, and Hungary, and are on the rise as well in France, Italy, England, and, yes, Sweden and Germany. Others point out that these trends menace us here in America as well. Fascism attracts those who have little exposure to discussions on universal human rights, those who feel economically marginalized, who feel that “our country is being taken over by alien cultures,” and who are ready to give their allegiance to a powerful male leader who promises to cure all their problems.

Fascism, if it comes to America, will arrive without swastikas, tanks or “Heil Hitler” salutes. It will call itself “national democracy” and will play upon fears of racial pollution, elitism, LGBT immorality, big government and even corporate greed. It will be heralded as “the revenge of the common man,” “the end to crime and deviant behavior” and a “patriotic defense of American greatness.”

It will sound the trumpet of “time for a change.” Only the change it brings about will be permanent. There will be no more elections, other than the kind of farce Russia’s Putin or China’s Xi put on. Slowly at first, then with astonishing rapidity, it will subvert our democratic traditions, restrict our basic freedoms, silence its critics through violence and intimidation – all in the interest of keeping us safe, guarding our cultural heritage, and taking long overdue revenge on intellectuals and deviants.

The time to combat the very real threat of fascism is before it begins to pit one group of Americans against others. That time is now, because the preconditions for fascism may have already begun to unfold.

(Robert L. Fried of Concord is the director of the New American Baccalaureate Project.)