Europe Veers Toward Nationalism

The continent of Europe has been home to every conceivable type of government over thousands of years, with democracy being the dominant force since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Yet, with the elections of far-right politicians across the continent in recent years, the landscape has changed. In this episode of Big World, SIS professor and Transatlantic Policy Center co-director Garret Martin joins us to evaluate what this shift toward right-wing nationalism might mean for the future of European democracy. Professor Martin defines far-right nationalism (2:27) and explains its difference from the mainstream conservatism that functions within democratic norms (4:48). He discusses how Brexit has changed politics and the internal dynamics of political parties in the United Kingdom (6:17). He also talks about the results of Sweden’s most recent general election and the new right-wing majority bloc (8:00). What effect does American support for right-wing leaders like Polish president Andrzej Duda and Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán have on European politics (11:25)? How has the war in Ukraine further complicated relationships and intercontinental politics among European countries (21:36)? Martin answers these questions and discusses what we can expect from Italy’s new government, led by far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (24:55). The episode concludes as Martin examines both the extent to which this surge of right-wing parties threatens European democracy (29:13) and also current measures the European Union is taking to put pressure on countries that act undemocratically (31:04). During our “Take Five” segment, Martin shares five ways in which Europeans—whether officially, as in the European Union, or unofficially at the individual citizen level—can act to safeguard democracy (15:48).