There are few countries in Western Europe where the radical populist right has been more successful in recent years than in Switzerland. Switzerland poses a fascinating puzzle to anyone interested in contemporary politics. It has a confederate system, which accords a great deal of autonomy and independence to its constituent units, the cantons. Its consociational… Continue reading “The Swiss People’s Party Versus COVID-19”
The ideas of unity, reconciliation and coexistence must consider a Sri Lankan identity beyond one ethnicity, religion and language. In March 2015, the unexpected newly elected president of Sri Lanka, Maithripala Sirisena, stated that the national anthem could be sung in Tamil at official and institutional events. For anyone alien to life on the teardrop… Continue reading “Sinhala, Tamil and the National Identity of Sri Lanka”
Operation Paperclip has fueled neo-Nazi conspiracy theories regarding the CIA, espionage, and government smokescreens for decades. Operation Paperclip is the historical inspiration behind Hunters, a television series on Amazon Prime, depicting a ragtag band of Nazi hunters operating in New York in 1977, who discover that hundreds of Nazi war criminals are conspiring to establish… Continue reading “False flags, paperclips, and super spies: the secret Nazi origins of the CIA”
The tale concocted about Tommie Lindh’s death has become an excuse to target minorities, particularly Muslims, with violence. In early May 2020, a 19-year-old was murdered in a small, relatively obscure city in northern Sweden. But search for the young man’s name online – Tommie Lindh – and you’ll get hit after hit from far-right… Continue reading “The radical right is exploiting a Swedish teen’s murder”
Guram Kashia seems to epitomise everything you might want in a national sporting hero. A fierce competitor on the field, and a family man off it, Kashia’s career took him first to the Netherlands and now to the US, yet he has always remained proud of his Georgian roots. As captain of the national team,… Continue reading “Marching On, But Not Together: The Georgian Far Right versus Guram Kashia”
The COVID-19 crisis has posed a fundamental challenge to Europe’s populist radical right, and the Netherlands is no exception. For much of the past decade, radical right-wing populism in the Netherlands has largely been associated with Geert Wilders and his Party for Freedom (PVV). Following in the footsteps of the late Pim Fortuyn, Wilders established… Continue reading “The Photogenic Face of Europe’s White Nationalism”
History shows that Americans, when asked to put political and economic differences aside to fight a common enemy, haven’t always succeeded. Dr. Jerome Adams, the surgeon general of the United States, made an announcement on March 23 warning Americans of the mounting death rate likely to occur over the next few weeks as COVID-19 spreads… Continue reading “Will COVID-19 Be Another Pearl Harbor Moment for America?”
If you think the answer to the rise in the radical right threat lies in counter-terrorism and/or counter-extremism policies, you are looking in the wrong place. In a recent interview, the former Director General of MI5, Jonathan Evans, discussed his perspectives on the U.K.’s radical right scene. He highlighted that he suspected the rise of… Continue reading “Countering the radical right, back to basics”
Calls to sacrifice lives for the economy. Funding protests that endanger public health. The radical right is highlighting their “pro-life” hypocrisy. The so-called “anti-lockdown” protests around the USA have brought together a motley of groups and interests, from Proud Boys to pro-gun enthusiasts and Trump supporters. But the extremist element is the most consistently flamboyant and loud in exposing… Continue reading “Nihilism And Hypocrisy Is The GOP’s COVID-19 Response”
Sweden’s leftist coalition has taken an authoritarian approach to the COVID-19 pandemic that is more suited to governments on the far right. Sweden has dealt with the global COVID-19 pandemic very differently from the other Nordic countries. All but Sweden are led by women. The female prime ministers in Denmark, Norway and Finland closed down… Continue reading “COVID-19 Casts a Shadow Over Swedish Exceptionalism”