CES Presentation "Old Ghosts in New Sheets: European Populist Parties and Foreign Policy"

On Thursday, March 31, 2011, the Centre for European Studies (CES) held a luncheon at the European Parliament in Brussels to present the research paper “Old Ghosts in New Sheets: European Populist Parties and Foreign Policy” by former CES Visiting Fellow Angelos-Stylianos Chryssogelos.

CES Director Tomi Huhtanen began the event by welcoming the audience and introducing Corien Wortmann-Kool, European People’s Party (EPP) Vice President and a Member of the European Parliament. Ms. Wortmann-Kool then introduced the subject of the discussion—populist parties in Europe—and noted that this is an issue that presents challenges to mainstream politicians who must make responsible policy decisions. In addressing populist challenges, she continued, it is important for the EPP to have debates and discussions such as this. She also noted that recent political events in Europe demonstrate the power of populism on both ends of the political spectrum to influence elections; examples are the Greens’ victory in Germany’s usually conservative state of Baden-Württemberg and the success of France’s far-right National Front Party in local elections across the country. Ms. Wortmann-Kool mentioned a Dutch expression translated as “a ghost with many angles,” which, as these events show, is a fitting description of populism.

Mr. Huhtanen next introduced the author of the paper, Angelos-Stylianos Chryssogelos. Mr. Chryssogelos began by noting that populism is, by nature, difficult to define. When people talk about populism in Europe, they talk about it in the context of issues ranging from immigration to nuclear energy to European integration. But even though populism is not easily defined, Mr. Chryssogelos continued, we must still try to do so. As he argued in the paper, populism on both the left and the right of the political spectrum is a challenge to mainstream politics.

In seeking to define populism, Mr. Chryssogelos first identified certain elements that characterize populist ideology across the political spectrum. First, there is the idea of a unified and virtuous people pitted against a corrupt and smaller elite; in that regard, populism is an ideology based on exclusion. Also, populists on both the right and the left see their ideology as a means to take a stance on current issues, introduce updated ideas and target the incumbents in power (the elites). There are also similarities among European populists irrespective of national borders. For example, right-wing populists across Europe tend to focus on themes of ethnicity and race, while left-wing populists are more concerned with economic and class issues. However, despite these transnational trends, populist parties of all varieties tend to work largely on the national level as opposed to the European level.

After establishing those parameters, Mr. Chryssogelos made the case that it is useful to take the analysis a step further by looking at populist ideology with regard to foreign policy, which is often an easy target for populists. He noted that foreign policy, unlike some purely domestic issues, is highly symbolic and is rife with issues largely understood by the electorate in simpler, ideological terms. In addition, foreign policy is also an area of that does not necessarily affect citizens in their everyday lives and, therefore, is not something for which policymakers are always held accountable to their constituents. In short, foreign policy is fertile ground for those adopting a populist narrative.

Mr. Chryssogelos continued by highlighting the main foreign policy areas he examined in the context of populism: transatlantic relations including the U.S. and NATO; EU-Russia relations; the Middle East; and the global economic and financial system, including development and aid. He noted that, in the case of transatlantic relations, right- and left-wing populists are very much united, although for different reasons, in their opposition to the “ultimate elite” on the international level, the United States. With regard to Russia, both left- and right-wing populists are largely pro-Russia, albeit for different reasons, and envision Russia as a preferable replacement to the U.S. in world affairs. In the context of the Middle East, both ends of the populist spectrum demonstrate pro-Palestinian/anti-Israel sentiments, which fit the anti-elitist narrative of populism in general. However, right-wing populists often walk a thin line between rhetoric that is pro-Palestine but anti-Islam—at least with regard to Islam’s influence in Europe. Finally, in the case of the global economic and financial system, Mr. Chryssogelos argued that left-wing populists tend to focus on these issues more prominently, but that populists on both the left and right often exhibit anti-trade sentiments and are opposed to the global economic elitism they see in the current system. However, right-wing populists tend to be more protectionist with regard to engaging with other countries in the developed world, but demonstrate more neo-liberal views toward economic relations with poorer countries.

Based on this analysis in the context of foreign policy, Mr. Chryssogelos turned to the question of what can be done to combat populism. First, he reiterated that populism presents a unique challenge given that its faces change constantly depending on the issue. However, he argued that mainstream parties, and the Centre Right in particular, have an upper hand when it comes to foreign policy. For example, populists have been in disarray in responding to the situation in Libya, mainly because the vast majority of people in the West sympathize with the goal of democracy in the Middle East and have a more nuanced understanding of the situation than populism will allow. In addition, Mr. Chryssogelos noted that populism can be countered when the Centre Right remains true to its values, both in policy and in rhetoric. And as a final tactic, the Centre Right should acknowledge that populists can and do raise issues of importance and that moderate policymakers should commit to addressing those issues by co-opting, reframing and redefining them in the context of Centre Right values; in doing so, populist fringe elements would effectively be disarmed.

Mr. Huhtanen thanked Mr. Chryssogelos and opened up the discussion to questions and debate within the audience. The first question addressed whether it is possible to identify a specific “winning formula” used by populist parties. This was immediately followed by another question regarding the possibility of combating populism by reevaluating European education systems, particularly secondary school systems, in order to equip the next generation of European citizens with more knowledge and more nuanced views. Mr. Chryssogelos stated in response to the first question that the new formula for right-wing populism has, since the 1980s, moved from a far-right, hardcore anti-Communist position to now include a traditionally left-wing protectionist component; in fact, most right-wing populist parties today espouse some level of economic protectionism. With regard to education as a starting point for addressing populism, Mr. Chryssogelos agreed that it can be one important tool and that EU-level education reforms should seek to address this when possible, while national solutions should be found in other cases.

The next question addressed how to best combat populists from a political standpoint—whether by bringing them into a coalition in the hope that they will become more moderate, or by marginalizing and excluding them. Mr. Chryssogelos responded that the answer depends on the context of the debate and also varies from country to country. For example, one could argue that the presence of the late Austrian politician Jörg Haider, even if he was a far-right populist, may have kept other extreme-right populist elements in check; with Haider now gone, it is difficult to say if other, possibly more extreme populist elements may emerge. In addition, Mr. Chryssogelos noted that the nature of politics is changing dramatically because of the media, which are playing an ever larger role in political discourse. Populism is successful, in part, because the media are looking for news that is exciting, and populist rhetoric can often provide that. However, as the Centre Right seeks to confront populist trends, it too can make itself relevant by making the case in the media that it can find solutions to the issues concerning people in their everyday lives. My. Chryssogelos then concluded with a reminder that the term populism is an umbrella term—and a large one at that. Mainstream parties must address these widely varying groups carefully and continually.

Mr. Huhtanen concluded the discussion by thanking the participants and the audience. Finally, he noted that one must be careful when challenging populists by co-opting or reframing their issues, as this approach actually allows them to set the agenda. Therefore, the best approach may very well be for the EPP is to remain true to its values.

The following stakeholders were involved:

• Mr. Angelos-Stylianos Chryssogelos, author of the paper and former Research Fellow at CES
• Ms. Corien Wortmann-Kool, Vice President of the EPP and Member of the European Parliament
• Mr. Tomi Huhtanen, CES Director