The European populist radical Right's evolving relationship with Israel

Lead Research Organisation: University of York
Department Name: Politics

Abstract

It is acknowledged that the rise of the populist Radical Right (PRR) represents a key development in party politics in Western Europe. However, while the drivers of voter support and domestic strategies start to receive scholarly attention, little analysis has focused on the international agenda of the PRR. Through my proposed study of the Western European PRR's relationship with Israel, I will address this blind spot.
Research has shown that mainstream parties embody an outdated concept of society that contrasts with large parts of the electorate in a globalised Western Europe. Under these conditions, the PRR has been effective in tapping into fears that national identity and traditional values are under threat, and is ideally placed to offer policies of cultural protectionism in response.
Yet other strategic and ideological factors also play an important role. The desire for mainstream acceptance has seen elements of the PRR conforming to a post-1945 political consensus that rejects anti-Semitism - regardless of the general resilience of such attitudes. A history of anti-Semitism has been (publicly) eclipsed by anti-Muslim prejudice, which today is more easily accepted in political debates.
More puzzling, however, are signs that the PRR is adopting novel positions on international conflicts. Here, scholars have noted increasing levels of support for Israel. Does a 'pro-Israeli' position feed into the anxieties of globalisation's 'losers'? Is the PRR blurring the borders between Israel and Europe to validate its own cultural protectionism and growing anti-Muslim prejudice? Or is the increasing support for Israel a calculated attempt to conform to a post-1945 consensus?
The foreign policy of the PRR will become increasingly relevant as the party family grows. Thus, it is crucial to understand if factors determining national policies are equally valid for international affairs. With this goal, the PhD's central research question is: 'How has the Western European Populist Radical Right's Position towards Israel Changed since 1979?'. With its link between national and domestic issues, the results of my research will interest both scholars of IR and comparative politics.
Following the development of a research framework and literature review in the first year of study, I will proceed with 12 months of research and fieldwork. The central research question will be answered via two interrelated stages of enquiry in the third year of study. First, I will be performing a discourse analysis of political statements made by the PRR related to Israel/Palestine at both a European and national level. Nationally, I will focus on key Western European states - Austria, Britain, France, Germany and Switzerland - to better understand 1) the extent to which the PRR has shifted its position towards Israel since 1979. My previous research signals a clear albeit uneven 'pro-Israeli' shift which I believe further research will verify. I have also witnessed indicative signs of such a shift through my work in East Jerusalem. Second, I will set out to identify 2) the factors driving the PRR's change in support for Israel. Here, I will be chiefly testing two possible assumptions: 2a) that the PRR's growing support for Israel is an attempt to capitalise on new political openings in a transformed Western Europe; and 2b) that the PRR is adopting a 'pro-Israeli' position to normalise its public image. Here, expert interviews with PRR parties will build on the analysis of party statements. Furthermore, I will be undertaking participatory observation, participating in several 'pro-Israeli' events attended by PRR politicians.
In essence, this PhD will examine the extent to which foreign disputes have become ideological illustrations of the PRR's culturally protectionist policies. In a supposed age of terrorism marked by heightened social tensions, there is a both an academic and pressing political need to to close this gap in understanding.

Publications

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Description While I am still in the progress of completing on the award, my research to date has demonstrated the contemporary and also counter-intutuive nature of far right politics in West Europe today. This knowledge allows us to better grasp how the far right operates and as such is of interest to all those wishing to better understand the current shake-up of West European party politics
Exploitation Route The outcomes of this award may offer guidance to others looking to move beyond simplistic understandings of the far right which fail to fully appreciate the modern and contemporary nature of far right politics. As such, it offers some useful avenues for future research which examine how globalisation and the global transfer of ideas among countries in the modern era creates unique opportunities for aspiring political parties.
Sectors Government

Democracy and Justice

Other

 
Description euandi2019 
Organisation European University Institute
Country Italy 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution As part of a small team working on Germany, I coded the European slection manifestos of radical right parties in Germany in order to help generate the content for a voting advice application for the 2019 European Parliament Elections. This was the third consecutive European election - after 2009 and 2014 - for which the 'euandi2019' voting application was developed.
Collaborator Contribution Each member of the Germany research team checked the coded results of other team members, as each member was principally in charge of two or three German parties competing in the 2019 European Elections. This was done in order to ensure the positions of the parties were consistently and accurately coded. This in turn helped to strengthen the reliability of our results.
Impact Across the 28 EU members states, the 'euandi2019' voting advice application reached a record number of 1.28 million users, who completed the questionnaire in the run-up to the 2019 European Parliament elections.
Start Year 2019