Le Pen is a piece of work
Oh yeah. The French left calls him a fascist, pure and simple. The Wow part of my post was surprise that he did so well, not that I approve of his politics. Remember the words from the old Dylan tune "There's something going on here but you don't know what it is - do you - Mr. Jones?" Well I guess I'm Mr. Jones on the resurgence of the far right in Europe. I think there are several reasons actually:
* Deep unease about EU centralization and loss of national sovereignty.
* Deep unease about the rapid increase in Muslim immigration and lack of assimilation of these populations.
* The fear of the potential these populations have for generating terrorist actions.
* The recent worldwide recession.
* A return to anti-semitic scapegoating.
Maybe the rise of the Right is just a passing phase, we'll see. How it will affect US foreign policy, if at all, I don't know yet. At any rate here are some links that may generate fruitfull discussion of the phenomenon:
WP analyses of Le Pen showing:Political Shocker in France
Anti-Immigration Figure to Face President in Runoff
washingtonpost.com
The success of the extreme right here underscores the growing appeal of other European far-right politicians after Sept. 11 and the renewed concerns about immigration and the large Muslim communities in Europe. The far right has been finding new support in Italy, Austria, Denmark and Switzerland, and a new anti-immigrant party, Livable Rotterdam, made surprising gains in local elections in the Netherlands under rightist leader Pim Fortuyn, and could enter parliament there after elections next month.
BBC Guide to the European Far Right:
news.bbc.co.uk
BBC analyses: Le Pen vote shocks Europe
news.bbc.co.uk
Mr Le Pen's defeat of Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin follows a series of far-right election successes beginning in Austria two years ago and continuing through Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark
BBC Profile: Profile: Jean-Marie Le Pen
news.bbc.co.uk
But immigration is still the key.
"Massive immigration has only just begun. It is the biggest problem facing France, Europe and probably the world. We risk being submerged," he said in a newspaper interview.
Dutch anti-immigrant politician:Pim Fortuyn: The far-right Dutch maverick
news.bbc.co.uk |
