Why populism is on the rise in Europe. Ted Bromund writes:
The fundamental problem is that for the EU, everything is political.
- The point of EU defense initiatives is not to improve Europe’s defense: It is to reduce the defense sovereignty of the EU’s nation states and to diminish NATO.
- The point of the euro is not to make Europe’s economy work better: It is to be a political instrument for European unity.
- The point of having an EU foreign policy, or a border force, is not to do these things better: It is to elevate Brussels and subordinate the nation-states of Europe.
This strategy has been remarkably successful on its own terms, but it neglects one key point: Security, the economy, the border, and foreign policy—all are issues with realities of their own. By treating them merely as political instruments for the greatness of the EU, the EU shows it prefers a show of greatness to the reality of achievement.
At the level of national politics, the rise of “populism” is not surprising. If you are an established political party in a democratic political system that offers little meaningful choice, I would suggest that an approach that combines low growth, low levels of job creation, high levels of unskilled immigration, increasing levels of supranational control, a rejection of the assimilative force of national identity, and lashings of deeply felt guilt is unlikely to increase your vote share. If you want to provoke people into voting against you, on the other hand, this is an excellent strategy.
[Theodore Bromund, “A New Approach to Europe: U.S. Interests, Nationalist Movements, and the European Union,” The Heritage Foundation, December 4]
