“What is going on in the world?” The Europe of Extremes: Nationalism, Populism and the Crisis of Liberal Democracy

As the world braces for a strong far right showdown in the European Parliament elections that will take place between 23 and 26 May 2019, nationalism and populism have once again come to the forefront of public discussion. How will the far right perform in the European elections? What lies behind the growing appeal of anti-immigrant, anti-globalist parties and movements? Does this signal the end of liberal democracy as we know it? These are some of the questions this session will take up with the hope of initiating a conversation on Europe’s possible futures in the wake of what promises to be momentous elections. 

Debate between Daphne Halikiopoulou, Associate Professor in Comparative Politics at the University of Reading, and Lars Trägårdh, Professor of History at Ersta Sköndal University College in Stockholm, moderated by Umut Özkırımlı, visiting researcher at CIDOB and at LSEE - Research on South East Europe, and introduced by Pol Morillas, Director of CIDOB.