International political world views of the European radical right

Interest in the issues that mobilise and motivate populist radical right parties is increasing in line with their growing popularity, representation and influence. This paper focuses on attitudes within European populist radical right parties to international politics and contends that foreign policy is a more central issue for them than is usually appreciated. There is growing recognition that these actors form part of an increasingly networked anti-globalist movement, and articulate a coherent challenge to liberal internationalism which goes beyond extreme nationalism, racism or xenophobia. But whilst there is growing scholarly interest in these international political world views, few have explored them in depth. This paper presents data from interviews conducted by the author with current and former elected representatives of AfD in Germany and Rassemblement National in France. Through these interviews the paper considers the extent to which EPRR parties share common interpretations of, and responses to, international issues, and a coherent agenda with respect to international politics. If finds striking commonality in sovereignist values, and in the anti-globalist grievances which motivate these parties. Radical right political actors frame themselves as defending the rights and identity of the ethnonational community from an international ‘globalist’ agenda, which includes liberal elites in their own countries. Their central nativist commitment to preserving the ethnic integrity and autonomy of the national community is inseparable from their belief in a bordered world of sovereign nation states. ‘Globalism’ is also characterised by military intervention against sovereign states (e.g. Iraq, Libya, Syria); actions which EPRR actors blame for causing uncontrolled migration and facilitating Islamist extremism, and highlight as evidence of the malign motives or deep incoherence of established elites. More broadly, radical right representatives share a suspicion of actors deemed drivers of globalism, above all the European Union, whilst the Covid-19 crisis has augmented deep and growing concern at China, including Chinese trade practices that are deemed to undermine domestic capacity in critical industries. Meanwhile they are drawn to actors that share their perception of a globalist threat to sovereign national communities, including Putin’s Russia and Donald Trump. Yet the interviews also reveal considerable variation within and between these parties. Not only is each party shaped by its national culture, but there is considerable variation within each party as to the extent to which the populist dimension of an individual’s ideology shapes their attitudes. Whilst some embrace the most implausible conspiracy theories about the malign hidden intentions of transnational elites, or repeat messages straight from the Kremlin, others sit closer to the mainstream. A more nuanced assessment of these actors’ views facilitates a deeper understanding of what unites them, and the internal tensions which may divide them in the future.