Far-Right Threatens Europe And Global Order – OpEd
It is worrying to see the far-right power gaining in Europe and winning support for its policies which are often nationalistic and populist. Several European countries are governed by far-right parties or alliances. And one thing is clear: these groups now hold positions where they can directly shape policy. The European Union meanwhile, has been weakened by the skepticism that far-right groups have sown. That can’t be good for the immediate and long-term prospects of the continent. At the same time, far-right rhetoric pays for itself in terms of electoral gains, and as long as that’s the case this is going to be an unsuccessful strategy for ending the divisions that have already been baked into European societies for one reason or another.
To appeal voters to on the far right of the political spectrum, mainstream parties are adopting nationalist platforms. But these positions which threaten the social cohesion that forms the very basis of European democracy, are far from new. And they cannot be limited to Europe: across the globe, politicians on both center-right and center-left have leaned into same the kind of identity politics that can foster division. While the surge in right-wing politics elicits natural concerns about a return to the era of far-right movements and the disastrous destructive practices associated with them, it is far from clear whether they will have these effects over the long........
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