Last weekend, thousands of Germans took to the streets to protest against the anti-Corona policies. The scenes were quite extraordinary and were widely reported in German and in international media, not least because the rallies were attended by far-right actors and conspiracy theorists. The good folks at Handelsblatt interviewed some colleagues and me, and someone…
Das Handelsblatt hat mit Politikern und Politikwissenschaftlern darüber gesprochen, was hinter den Corona-Demonstrationen vom letzten Wochenende steckt und ob die AfD davon profitieren kann (tl;dr: vermutlich eher nicht). [contentcards url="https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/zunehmende-polarisierung-politik-und-bka-warnen-vor-radikalisierung-der-corona-proteste/25818722.html" target="_blank"]
On May the 8th 1945, the Wehrmacht surrendered, bringing the war in Europe and the terror reign of the Nazis to an end.1 40 years later, then-president Richard von Weizsäcker, himself a former officer of the Wehrmacht and a scion of the same Prussian gentry that for centuries has supplied the army with cadets, kicked…
Germany’s Office for the Protection of the Constitution (i.e. the spooks) begins to build dossiers on 3 sitting MPs for the AfD. All of them are prominent members of the most radical faction within the party (in German) In a landmark ruling, Germany’s highest court declares ban on assisted suicide unconstitutional. Judges say right to…
Update #3 March 25: Looks like we are indeed getting an option 1+2 outcome: Höcke & Kalbitz say they cannot shred the membership list b/c there is none, but tell members to refrain from political activity under the “wing” brand. Obviously, they will otherwise remain very active within the party. Update #2 March 21: The…
Das Handelsblatt hat mit Lothar Probst, Matthias Quent und mir über die möglichen Konsequenzen einer Beobachtung der AfD durch den Verfassungsschutz gesprochen. [contentcards url="https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/nach-austritt-aus-fraktion-rechtspopulismus-forscher-beobachtung-der-afd-ist-voraussichtlich-nicht-mehr-aufzuhalten/25485042.html" target="_blank"]
In der AfD prallen marktradikale und wohlfahrtschauvinistische Vorstellungen zur Rentenversicherung aufeinander. Das Handelsblatt berichtet, dazu gibt es ein paar Wortlaut-Zitate von mir. [contentcards url="https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/rentendebatte-hoecke-fluegel-wirft-afd-chef-meuthen-parteischaedigendes-verhalten-vor/25474312.html?ticket=ST-2193926-qoKvARA1ofygz4mAbewQ-ap2" target="_blank"]
A coalition to keep out the AfD Back in the distant past of 2016, the rise of the AfD in Germany’s eastern states and the fragmentation of the party system began to force the formation of awkward coalitions. In Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD captured about a quarter of the vote and so brought together a ‘Kenya…
Mit Dietmar Neuerer vom Handelsblatt habe ich ein langes Gespräch über die Neuwahl des AfD-Bundesvorstands geführt. Dabei ging es auch um die Rolle Alexander Gaulands. [contentcards url="https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/politikwissenschaftler-arzheimer-zukunft-der-afd-uebrig-blieben-dann-nur-die-radikalsten-kraefte/25274814.html?ticket=ST-61441820-LI6z4tkzgQYlkoZbcCX6-ap2" target="_blank"]
For the radical right in Europe, Alternative for Germany is an increasingly unusual case In a recent paper published in JCMS, I argue that unlike other German far-right parties, the “Alternative for Germany party” (AfD) managed to avoid being associated with Nazism. The strong presence of establishment figures that previously were (or could have been) members…