Defending Democracy in the European Parliament: An Institutional Drama
Hardcover
Paperback
- Price:
- $29.95/拢25.00
- ISBN:
- Published:
- Jul 14, 2026
- Copyright:
- 2026
- Pages:
- 264
- Size:
- 6.13 x 9.25 in.
- 11 b/w illus.
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In recent years, far-right political parties have grown in influence not only in the domestic politics of such countries as Hungary, Brazil, and the United States but also in international institutions ranging from the United Nations Human Rights Council to the European Union. Have these international platforms contributed to the rise of the far right in liberal democracies? In this book, Christin Tonne examines the far right鈥檚 role in the European Parliament and the institution鈥檚 response. Tonne, a former aide to a member of the European Parliament, provides a rare insider鈥檚 view of the far right鈥檚 ascent in that organization. Drawing on three years of ethnographic research鈥攐bservations and interactions in corridors, meetings, and plenary sessions鈥攕he traces how the far right seamlessly integrated into EU politics, often with the support of mainstream political parties.
Tonne argues that many of Europe鈥檚 far-right parties, including the French National Rally and Alternative for Germany, incubated at the EU level, using the European Parliament as a laboratory for experimentation with far-right ideas and as a springboard for a new, more self-assured and ambitious generation of far-right leaders. Exploring the responses of the Parliament鈥檚 traditional political factions, she traces the emergence of a quiet yet persistent opposition movement as the institution tries to defend itself and its mission. Tonne鈥檚 account raises important questions about the ongoing normalization of far-right politics at the EU level and beyond.