Europe at the Crossroads: Confronting Populist, Nationalist, and Global Challenges

The extreme right wing is on the rise. And there are signs that part of the political mainstream in Europe, the US, and beyond is considering going along with far-right populist parties and their divisive, ethno-nationalist programmes. Europe at the Crossroads is an urgent scholarly response to the sociopolitical challenges that far-right programmes pose to the idea of a more egalitarian world. It offers an interdisciplinary explanation and critique of the dynamics of the far right in Europe from Poland to the UK, from Sweden to Greece. The authors present immediate alternatives when tackling the exclusionary rhetoric and the politics of resentment. In formulating alternatives for a social Europe, each contributor critically assesses the current advance of far-right populism and the threat to liberal democracy since the global financial crisis of 2008 and the European refugee movement of 2015. Each chapter addresses the historical roots and normalization of the extreme right, whether Orbanism in Central and Eastern Europe since 2014, the Brexit campaign and referendum in the UK in 2016. As the slogan Fortress Europe once a pejorative term now appeals to large numbers of voters, the authors also analyse the flash points in the run-up to the European Parliament elections in May 2019. Authors: Adam Balcer, European Council on Foreign Relations & University of Warsaw, Poland; Beint Magnus Aamodt Bentsen, Malmö University, Sweden; Pieter Bevelander, Malmö University, Sweden; Floris Biskamp, University of Tübingen, Germany; Salomi Boukala, Panteion University of Social & Political Sciences, Athens, Greece; Gianni DAmato, University of Neuchâtel & Swiss Forum for Migration and Population Studies, Switzerland; Maureen Eger, Umeå University, Sweden; Bernhard Forchtner, University of Leicester, UK; Matthew Feldman, Teesside University & American University in London, UK; Heather Grabbe, Open Society European Policy Institute, Belgium; Stefan Lehne, Carnegie Europe, Belgium & Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, Austria; Sabine Lehner, University of Vienna, Austria; Markus Rheindorf, University of Vienna, Austria; Sarah Valdez, Linköping University, Sweden; Ruth Wodak, Lancaster University, UK & University of Vienna, Austria.