Europe's Persistent and Adaptable Far Right

Much has been written since the 1980s about the presumed resurgence of xenophobic, nationalist parties and movements throughout Europe.  Whether in France, Italy, Austria, Hungary or elsewhere, the two primary questions animating public and scholarly discourse have been, “Why here?” and “Why now?”  Granting the salience of those lines of discourse, this presentation will focus not on the sources and circumstances of mobilization for electorally successful far right parties, but instead on the distinct ways European states (and their previously dominant mainstream parties) have sought to address challenges from their extreme flanks.  Key debates exist about who has been more effective in combating threats to the democratic order, with strategic responses ranging from political quarantines (the cordon sanitaire approach) to constructive engagement (the moderation through incumbency approach).  Timely cases from national contexts throughout the continent (including post-Communist states) as well as the European Parliament illustrate the most frequent outcomes associated with strategic choices made by traditional conservative as well as social democratic parties.