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8
Opinion&Analysis
Noalternativetoliberaldemocracy?,SamuelAbrahám
aresultofthemassiveinfluxofrefugeesfromSyriaandelsewhereandtheBrexit
votelastsummer.Whatwasperceivedasadisturbingandmarginalphenomenon
adecadeagoisgraduallyhauntingEuropeintheformofauthoritarianpolitics
andadefianceofacornerstoneofliberaldemocracy–theruleoflaw.Teques-
tionremains,though,whetherthestatesofCentralandEasternEurope–someof
whichhavealreadyshiftedtowardsthefarright–willeventuallyembracewestern
liberalism(thecoreideologyoftheEU)orwillpopulistandnationalistpolitics
becomemorewidespread.
Itseemsthatthetwotrendsfeedoffeachother.
Wearenotwitnessing
aManicheanstruggle
Thefarrightre-emergedimmediatelyafterthefall
ofcommunism;theyreconnectedwithpre-warand
SecondWorldWarpoliticalpartiesandmovements,
ofgoodandevil,but
butgraduallyaddedthemoderncharacteristicsof
astrugglebetween
theirfarrightcounterpartsinWesternEurope.
modernvalues.
traditionaland
Besidesalltheultra-nationalisticandethnicxeno-
phobicelements,itnowalsoincludedacriticism
ofsociallyprogressivecauses–suchasgayrights
andwomen’srights–aswellasblamingtheEU
asthemainpromotersofthesecauses.Despitethehugepolitical,socialand
economicbenefitsstemmingfromEUmembership,aswellasthewidespread
publicsupport,thefarrighthassomehowsuccessfullymanagedtodumpallthe
blameonimaginarybureaucratsinBrussels,whopromotegayrights,impose
refugeequotasonmemberstatesand,inamostconspiratorialfashion,tryto
depriveCentralEuropeanstatesoftheirsovereignty.Notsurprisingly,populists
havealwaysusedcrudestereotypesandsweepingstatementsintheirrhetoric.
Paradoxically,eveniftheydealwithproblemsthatarereal,theyseldomsolve
themorevenwishto,fortheyonlyseekpoliticalgain.
ItisstillunclearwhetherCentralEuropecouldinitiateyetanotherglobalorEuro-
peanpoliticalcrisisorwhetherthisisjustatemporaryanomalyinthisregion.Whatis
certain,however,isthatwearenotwitnessingaManicheanstruggleofgoodandevil,
butastrugglebetweentraditionalandmodernvalues.Infact,whatwewitnesstoday
isa21stcenturyrenditionofthestrugglebetweenliberaldemocracyanditsenemies.
Indeed,arecurringtensionhasemerged,whichhasdefinedandshapedEuropesince
the19thcentury–betweenenlightenmentandreactionary,counter-enlightenment
forces.Teformerfostersliberalvaluessuchasindividualfreedom,protectionand
universalhumanrightswhilethelatterconveysconservativevalues,suchascommu-
nity,religion,traditionandinsomecasesethnicunityandsuperiority.
