debating progressive politics in Europe and beyond
We have entered an age of fear. Insecurity is once again an active ingredient of political life in Western democracies. Insecurity born of terrorism, but also, and more insidiously, fear of the uncontrollable speed of change, fear of the loss of employment, fear of losing ground to others in an increasingly unequal distribution of resources, [...]
Immigration more important than the Economy? Judging by the content of the debate in Greece over the past few days, one might think that the most pressing issue facing the country ahead of the upcoming general elections is illegal immigration rather than the economy. The two coalition partners, New Democracy and PASOK, have attempted to [...]
Solidarity, freedom and justice – these are the fundamental values of social democracy. And it is on these root ideas that social democratic politics regarding migration, integration and identity are based upon. They offer a clear guideline for the handling of cultural diversity within a society and make appreciation as well as participation the main [...]
Headscarf controversies in France, race riots in Britain, minaret bans in Switzerland, and the disturbing success of xenophobic right-wing parties in Austria, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Belgium reveal how difficult it has been for Europe to cope with the challenges of diversity. The transition from homogenous to multicultural societies has been a painful one, as [...]
After the murder of more than 70 people by Anders Behring Breivik, a former member of Norway’s right-wing populist Progress Party, it is not only Norway that must face the question of how far the gruesome massacre can be dismissed as the act of a deranged individual or whether right-wing populist opinion in the country [...]
When and why has the left become so culturalist, stressing essentialist notions of identity and the value of frozen group cultures? How come that the left, which was always in the egalitarian-equality business, have become so obsessed with difference, diversity and cultural inequalities? How is it possible that progressive liberals, who are ethical individualists, turn [...]
“Europe needs immigrants” – former Italian Prime Minister Massimo D’Alema stated bluntly in the 10th May Le Monde – in direct dispute with “the two most active European pyromaniacs”, Berlusconi and Sarkozy. Calculation to support that postulate could hardly be simpler: There are today 333 million Europeans, but with the present (and still falling) average [...]
On December 17, 2010, a 26-year-old street vendor named Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in a small town in central Tunisia, unwittingly triggering a revolution that would ultimately overthrow a 24-year-long dictatorship in that country. Within a few weeks of this incident, revolts flared up across the Arab world, gripping countries from the Gulf [...]
“People joked that watching Finnish politics was about as interesting as watching paint dry. Until now.” (The New York Times 22.4.2011) In December 2010, I wrote about the rise of the True Finns movement in SEJ. I argued that if Timo Soini`s True Finns are able to mobilize their polls support in the general election [...]
Europe’s reaction to the historic revolutions in North Africa has vacillated between exhilaration and fear. The natural instinct to celebrate and support democratization across the Mediterranean has been tempered by concerns that the crisis will spill onto European shores. A few leaders have invoked the post-World War II Marshall Plan as a model for large-scale [...]
Nearly everywhere, it seems, there’s a populist revolt against established politics. From the True Finns in Finland, to the Front National 2.0 in France, to the Tea Party movement in America, and to the Sarrazin-upheaval in Germany the populist revolt continues. But what are the common causes? Why is it happening? Why now? What is [...]
Migration to Italy is a well established phenomenon. For about forty years, migrants from third world countries have entered the peninsula in search of better economic conditions or because they are fleeing armed conflict or natural disasters in their countries of origin. Over recent years, the number of immigrants has grown exponentially. Currently in Italy [...]
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