The Rise of Far-Right Nationalist Populism as an International Relations Security Problem
By Dr. Robert Imre, Senior Researcher at Tampere Peace Research Institute (TAPRI) at Tampere University, Finland
When focussing on the rise of far-right nationalist populist (FRNP) movements, there are at least three major problems with the post-Cold War political shift, inclusive of the post-September 11th securitization of everyday life. The new form of intertwined security problem for international relations has this threefold set of characteristics: perpetual violence, perpetual ignorance, and perpetual victims. The intertwining of these three political shifts means there is a new form of security problem arising for international relations.
Perpetual Violence
One of the main characteristics of this renewed form of far-right nationalist populist (FRNP) politics involves legitimations of violence by the state that is fundamentally undemocratic and unaccountable. It raises a number of issues, not the least of which is the collusion of FRNP groups outside of government, with FRNP individuals who are elected officials. These two political forces have become re-entwined and operate in similar ways as they have done in the interwar period in the 1920s. While much of this might seem obvious, the less obvious violence will come in the form of nationalism rather than what we have seen recently: and it will most likely surprise the perpetrators themselves. For example, FRNP groups all share a common goal of ‘purification’ of their respective populations to get back to some form of core ethnicity. These groups have created their own renewed fault-lines of violence, seemingly forgetting that the foundational myths of FRNP groups requires the eradication of neighbours as well as denizens sharing territory. Polish FRNPs seem to forget that in the world-view of their German counterparts, Polish people in general must to be eradicated. Similar fault-lines can be found all over Europe including Hungary/Slovakia, the German FRNPs and Slavic groups in Central and South-East Europe, Greek FRNPs and the Balkans, and many more. Similar situations exist everywhere, including Canada, where there is a claim by FRNP groups or elected officials to represent a version of a core ethnicity that seeks to tie itself to a contiguous territory. Apart from being historically inaccurate, these claims are a guarantee of perpetual violence since there is a complete inability to recognise other groups with territorial claims in the same space (and we have not even started to discuss migrants). As a security problem, it is a guarantee of conflict wherein nations will seek to oppose nations and go to war: what will the Finnish FRNP party require of Russia in terms of a return of the Karelian territory in which the Soviet Union summarily expelled Finns, and will the Swedish FRNP look to regain territories of previous empires in Norway and Finland? These fault-lines of violence seem to have been forgotten completely by the FRNP movements in their focus on a manufactured ‘outsider’. It is here that we can turn to the problem of perpetual ignorance.
Perpetual Ignorance
With the establishment of FRNP groups around the world there is also an attempt to create some form of perpetual ignorance. This form of ignorance means there is a search for some kind of simple solution to a variety of complex problems. Coupled with their guarantee of violence, FRPN politicians can easily run on political campaigns that produce slogans that deny scientific evidence of any kind, and maintain a form of basic answers to climate problems, problems of pollution, issues of social welfare inclusive of medical care and access to education, and dismiss any form of evidence-based progress. It is a long-established method of FRNP strategies to denigrate science and scientists, to ridicule academics, and to persecute artists critical of nationalist projects. Recent debates about Leonardo Da Vinci demonstrate how the FRNP in France and Italy can have a conflict over cultural heritage that is based in an ahistorical reading of the development of modern nation-states. Instead of thinking about how intertwined histories might work, FRNP politicians seek to create a primordialist (ancient and natural) view of modern nations that incorrectly assume a static culture and a static people. This dangerous form of ignorance dismisses already successful solutions to problems that need examinations of evidence rather than finding and blaming invented architects of real problems.
Perpetual Victims
This brings me to the third security problem that FRNP politicians enjoy so much: the creation of a perpetual victim to justify their behaviour. The so-called ‘migrant crisis’ has set up a kind of perfect perpetual victim set, even in places that have had a large mix of migration types (in-migration from all over Europe, out-migration from one EU country to another, and decades of out-migration due to both economic crises as well as political upheaval) and as such can ensure that FRNP groups can dismiss empathy of any kind, as well as practical solutions to real problems. This is not a new tactic, and has been present throughout modernity, even though much of these problems have been solved in a number of constituencies. Places with continuing experiences of out-migration such as Poland and Hungary can thus dismiss any form of empathy for ‘migrants’ even in the face of their own depopulation that an influx of migrants might solve.
In conclusion, as an international relations problem, far-right nationalist populism (FRNP) is a clear security threat that is deeply embedded in current democracies. Unable to provide solutions to climate problems, their own professionals emigrating for greener pastures, and global economic shifts, FRNP politicians and their cronies are happy to create perpetual crisis through these victims and ensuring that ignorance prevails. The security problem that results is the constant possibility of violence both internally as well as with other nation-states. Entwining individual politicians who are prepared to use violent rhetoric as well as state sponsored violence with extra-state FRNP groups and individuals means that public safety is compromised. It also encourages the maintenance of historical faultlines, even if FRNP supporters remain ignorant. Supporting FRNP policies and political parties will guarantee these kinds of conflicts in the near future.
Dr Robert Imre is Senior Researcher at Tampere Peace Research Institute (TAPRI) at Tampere University, Finland. His training is grounded in political theory, with degrees in political studies from Queen’s University, Canada (BA Hon); University of Victoria, Canada (MA); The University of Queensland, Australia (PhD). His research interests divide in to 3 main areas: nationalism, political communication, and political violence. This interdisciplinarity covers a broad range of topics from international relations (theory), questions about global security and terrorism, new media and various social media platforms, as well as problems dealing with the changing nature of borders and nations.
