On Extremism and Democracy in Europe

Cas Mudde is Associate Professor in the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Georgia, USA, and Researcher in the Center for Research on Extremism (C-REX) at the University of Oslo, Norway.

Never afraid to tell it like it is, Cas Mudde may be a born contrarian but he always knows what he’s talking about. This collection exemplifies Mudde's trademark mix of scholarly expertise and take-no-prisoners commitment to making us all think twice before we take too much for granted. Genuinely a great read.Tim Bale, Professor of Politics, Queen Mary University of London, UKA must-read for anyone interested in this riveting European political moment—populism, freedom of speech, far-right, far-left, religion, Euroscepticism, and euro-crisis. It’s all here: well written, provocative, and engaging. Always original and thought-provoking, Cas Mudde combines wonderful political savvy with unrivalled academic expertise. Catherine Fieschi, Director, Counterpoint, UKCas Mudde is the leading public intellectual drawing attention to the challenges to liberal democracy and the European project represented by populist, Eurosceptic parties. Dismissing convenient, simplistic hype over this phenomenon and highlighting the contradictory responses of governments this book defines the issues likely to dominate European politics for years to come.Geoffrey Harris, European Parliament official (1976-2016) and author of The Dark Side of Europe.This collection distils the essential Mudde. His characteristically forthright dissection of key political trends includes a primer on populism that will be widely cited, but he also warns of the dangers of blaming populism for all the problems besetting liberal democracy in Europe today. Mudde's analysis of the damage done by mainstream parties and politicians in the name of combatting extremism should be essential reading for all Europeans worried about the future of democracy and the EU.Heather Grabbe, Director, Open Society European Policy Institute, BelgiumCas Mudde is one of the leading specialists of the populist radical right. He is also a man with strong moral and civic values. The pathological normalcy theory he exposes in this collection of his articles is a key to understanding the mounting challenge of the extreme right to liberal democracy. It is also well worth reading his criticism of "undemocratic liberalism", as the reason for the successes of Left-Wing populism.Jean-Yves Camus, Directeur de l'Observatoire des radicalités Politiques (ORAP), Paris

• Part I: The Far Right1. The populist radical right: a pathological normalcy2. Three decades of populist radical right parties in Western Europe: So what?3. The myth of Weimar Europe4. Putin’s Trojan Horses? 5 theses on Russia and the European far right5. Local shocks: the far right in the 2014 European elections6. Europe of Nations and Freedoms: Financial Success, Political Failure7. Viktor Orbán and the difference between radical right parties and radical right politicsPart II: Populism8. Jean-Claude Jucker and the populist zeitgeist in European politics9. The problem with populism10. Populism and liberal democracy: is Greece the exception or the future of Europe? (interview with Antonis Galanopoulos)11. Populism: a primerPart III: Euroscepticism12. European integration: after the fall13. The European elite’s politics of fear14. What will the European elections bring the Western Balkans?15. The 2014 European elections in numbers16. Electoral winners and political losers in the right-wing Eurosceptic camp17. The key lessons of Syriza’s defeat? A different Europe requires both ideology and competence 18. It’s time to end the Eurosceptic illusions19. "Weimar Greece" and the future of Europe20. Portugal faces a political crisis, but it’s the same one facing governments everywherePart IV: Liberal Democracy 21. The intolerance of the tolerant22. After the storms: time to go beyond the obvious responses23. Norway’s democratic example24. The do’s and don’ts of banning political extremism25. No, we are NOT all Charlie (and that’s a problem)26. What freedom of speech? Of foxes, chickens, and #JeSuisCharlie27. As Europe looks fearfully outside, its liberal democracy is under attack from within28. Epilogue: European democracy after Paris