Europe: Right roll

The half -million stream of refugees, bloody terrorist attacks - the reaction to these challenges was the strengthening of the extreme right -wing parties in Europe. Moreover, many experts are sure: the sequel should be.

September: In local elections in Austria, the Social Democrats literally tear out the victory from the ultra-right from the Freedom Party, who get the second place. October: The Polish voter prefers the party "Law and Justice" by Yaroslav Kachinsky, advocating "Polishness". December: In France, the National Front Marin Le Pen is gaining almost 30% of the vote in the first round of regional elections. Moreover, many experts are sure: the sequel should be.

Arno Dubyen , Director of the Franco-Russian Analytical Center Observo , despite the loss in the second round, received 7 million votes together-this is 1 million more than in the presidential election three years ago. In France, a three -pole - social party, “Republicans”, the National Front - a party system, the ultra -right ones finally took shape in France. The elections revealed a deep distrust of the population in the elites up to the "pan -European". It is obvious to rejection of the European project in its current form, after expansion to the east. The conjunctural - migration crisis and terrorist attacks in January and November were also superimposed on these deep factors. Moreover, the growth of populism and the displacement of the center of political severity to the right is not a purely French phenomenon: we observe it in the east of Europe - in Poland and Hungary, anti -European forces are experiencing take -off in Germany and Great Britain. And in the even more West West, in the USA, the phenomenon of Donald Trump testifies to this.

It is important to say about something else: in 2015, the watershed between the new and old Europe finally took shape. New Europe does not want to receive refugees from the Middle East. And this is fraught with undermining the concept of European solidarity itself. Such a position of “new countries” can cause a response in old Europe: they say, you were happy to accept subsidies from us, but for some reason you are not ready to share the burden of responsibility in crisis situations. The intensified disagreements will most likely lead to distinguished integration processes in Europe: there will be a Eurozone with its institutions and other countries. This approach was supported by France for a long time and rejected by Germany. However, in order to avoid the collapse of the EU, he apparently prevails.

Alexander Sm all , member of the European Council on International Relations, President of the Foundation named after Stefana Batoria (Poland)

In the countries of Central Europe, such as Poland and Hungary, the success of law -Poopulistic ideology is accompanied by a historical factor. For example, Poland after the war, the Holocaust and territorial redevelopment became ethnically and religiously homogeneous. The same is largely concerned with other countries of the region, which in communist times were fenced off from the West, and therefore from the wave of immigrants from former colonies - North Africa, Pakistan, India. In the West, taking into account the imperial, colonial past of the EU pillars and the post-war policy of taking people from the former colonies, the image of the “stranger” was something normal, which everyone had long been accustomed to, even if they were not particularly eager to accept immigrants.

But in eastern Europe, not so long ago, residents have not encountered people with a different skin color. I remember the times when in Warsaw people looked around when they saw a dark -skinned one. Therefore, the appearance of a “stranger”, that is, a person of another culture, religion, language is perceived as a threat, especially in an atmosphere that has developed as a result of terrorist attacks.

In 2015, the European Union, in order to prevent excessive concentration of refugees in countries such as Germany and Sweden, tried to introduce a quota system for the placement of refugees - this met strong resistance in Central Europe. The unexpected prospect of the massive influx of immigrants has become fertile soil for the right, including in Poland. So, publicly manipulating the fears of society before the tributary of the “strangers” - this motive sounded in at least two of its performances - Yaroslav Kachinsky and led his party to victory in the election.