Twelfth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

The foundation of the European Union (EU) was founded on the idea of liberalism that emphasized the institutionalization of norms and values. The EU has focused on the teleological transitology to democratize Eastern and Southern Europe. It did not follow a country-specific approach to understand the role of agents in political transition - rather a one-dimensional approach was followed to democratize the Europe. The result was that many of the countries in Europe experienced episodic cases of autocratization and degradation of democratic values. Recently, the right wing populism spread in countries like Hungry, France, Poland, Czech Republic, Bulgaria etc. The right wing populism is based on the absolute idea of ultra-nationalism which is openly preventing the immigrants, EU liberal policies and freedom and rights of minorities. For example, Viktor Orban is claiming to protect the Hungary for Hungarians rights, freedom, privileges which ultimately helped him to protect his political power from opposition. It directly brings back the fear of instability, conflict, and war on the basis of which the EU was founded by the Allied Forces. The combination of right wing politics and populism has massive impact on the supra-structural institutions like EU which seeks to promote liberal democracy, human rights, and peace and order. This project is important for framing new policy tools for the EU to tackle the problems of right wing populism in Eastern European countries.