Posted on 03/29/2014 9:48:21 AM PDT by annalex
Gabor Vona, president of the Hungarian radical right-wing party "Jobbik," delivers a speech at a rally in Budapest, March 15, 2014. (Bernadett Szabo / Courtesy Reuters) |
Given that one of Russian President Vladimir Putins stated reasons for invading Crimea was to prevent Nazis from coming to power in Ukraine, it is perhaps surprising that his regime is growing closer by the month to extreme right-wing parties across Europe. But, in both cases, Putins motives are not primarily ideological. In Ukraine, he simply wants to grab territory that he believes rightly belongs to him. In the European Union, he hopes that his backing of fringe parties will destabilize his foes and install in Brussels politicians who will be focused on dismantling the EU rather than enlarging it.
In Hungary, for example, Putin has taken the Jobbik party under his wing. The third-largest party in the country, Jobbik has supporters who dress in Nazi-type uniforms, spout anti-Semitic rhetoric, and express concern about Israeli colonization of Hungary. The party has capitalized on rising support for nationalist economic policies, which are seen as an antidote for unpopular austerity policies and for Hungarys economic liberalization in recent years. Russia is bent on tapping into that sentiment. In May 2013, Kremlin-connected right-wing Russian nationalists at the prestigious Moscow State University invited Jobbik party president Gabor Vona to speak. Vona also met with Russia Duma leaders including Ivan Grachev, chairman of the State Duma Committee for Energy and Vasily Tarasyuk, deputy chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources and Utilization, among others. On the Jobbik website, the visit is characterized as a major breakthrough which made clear that Russian leaders consider Jobbik as a partner. In fact, there have been persistent rumors that Jobbiks enthusiasm is paid for with Russian rubles. The party has also repeatedly criticized Hungarys Euro-Atlantic connections and the European Union. And, more recently, it called the referendum in Crimea exemplary, a dangerous word in a country with extensive co-ethnic populations in Romania and Slovakia. It seems that the party sees Putins new ethnic politics as being aligned with its own revisionist nationalism.
The Kremlins ties to Frances extreme-right National Front have also been growing stronger. Marine Le Pen, the party leader, visited Moscow in June 2013 at the invitation of State Duma leader Sergei Naryshkin, a close associate of Putins. She also met with Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin and discussed issues of common concern, such as Syria, EU enlargement, and gay marriage. Frances ProRussia TV, which is funded by the Kremlin, is staffed by editors with close ties to the National Front who use the station to espouse views close to National Fronts own perspective on domestic and international politics. The National Front wishes to replace the EU and NATO with a pan-European partnership of independent nations, which, incidentally, includes Russia and would be driven by a trilateral Paris-Berlin-Moscow alliance. Le Pens spokesman, Ludovic De Danne, recently recognized the results of the Crimea referendum and stated in an interview with Voice of Russia radio that, historically, Crimea is part of Mother Russia. In the same interview, he mentioned that he had visited Crimea several times in the past year. Marine Le Pen also visited Crimea in June 2013.
The list of parties goes on. Remember Golden Dawn, the Greek fascist party that won 18 seats in Greeces parliament in 2012? Members use Nazi symbols at rallies, emphasize street fighting, and sing the Greek version of the Nazi Party anthem. The Greek government imprisoned Nikos Michaloliakos, its leader, and stripped parliamentary deputies of their political immunity before slapping them with charges of organized violence. But the party continues to take to the streets. Golden Dawn has never hidden its close connections to Russias extreme right, and is thought to receive funds from Russia. One Golden Dawnlinked website reports that Michaloliakos even received a letter in prison from Moscow State University professor and former Kremlin adviser Alexander Dugin, one of the authors of Putins Eurasian ideology. It was also Dugin who hosted Jobbik leader Vona when he visited Moscow. In his letter, Dugin expressed support for Golden Dawns geopolitical positions and requested to open a line of communication between Golden Dawn and his think tank in Moscow. Golden Dawns New York website reports that Michaloliakos has spoken out clearly in favor of an alliance and cooperation with Russia, and away from the naval forces of the Atlantic.
Finally, a cable made public by WikiLeaks shows that Bulgarias far right Ataka party has close links to the Russian embassy. Reports that Russia funds Ataka have swirled for years, but have never been verified. But evidence of enthusiasm for Russias foreign policy goals is open for all to see. Radio Bulgaria reported on March 17 that Atakas parliamentary group has insisted that Bulgaria should recognize the results from the referendum for Crimeas joining to the Russian Federation. Meanwhile, party leader Volen Siderov has called repeatedly for Bulgaria to veto EU economic sanctions for Russia.
In addition to their very vocal support for Russias annexation of Crimea within the EU, Jobbik, National Front, and Ataka all sent election observers to validate the Crimea referendum (as did the Austrian Freedom Party, the Belgian Vlaams Belang party, Italys Forza Italia and Lega Nord, and Polands Self-Defense, in addition to a few far-left parties, conspicuously Germanys Die Linke). Their showing was organized by the Russia-based Eurasian Observatory For Democracy & Elections, a far-right NGO opposed to Western ideology. The EODE specializes in monitoring elections in self-proclaimed republics (Abkhazia, Transnistria, Nagorno-Karabakh) allied with Moscow, according to its website.
The Putin governments cordial relations with Europes far right sit oddly, to say the least, with his opposition to Nazis in the Ukrainian government. Yet Putins dislike for Ukrainian fascists has nothing to do with ideology. It has to do with the fact that they are Ukrainian nationalists. The countrys Svoboda and Right Sector parties, which might do well in the postViktor Yanukovych Ukraine, stand for independence in a country that Putin does not believe should exist separate from Russia.
Similarly, Russian support of the far right in Europe has less to do with ideology than with his desire to destabilize European governments, prevent EU expansion, and help bring to power European governments that are friendly to Russia. In that sense, several European countries may only be one bad election away from disaster. In fact, some would say that Hungary has already met it. As support for Jobbik increases, the anti-democratic, center-right government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban has tacked heavily to the right and recently signed a major nuclear deal with Russia. Russia plans to lend Hungary ten billion euro to construct two new reactors at its Paks nuclear plant, making Hungary even more dependent for energy on Russia. Jobbiks Vona wants to go even further, taking Hungary out of the EU and joining Russias proposed Eurasian Union.
European parliamentary elections, which are scheduled for the end of May, are expected to result in a strong showing for the far right. A weak economy, which was weakened further by the European Central Banks austerity policies, has caused the extreme right vote to surge. Current polls show the far-right parties in France and Holland winning the largest share of seats in their national delegations. Brussels strategists worry that 20 percent of members of the new European parliament could be affiliated with parties that wish to abolish the EU, double the current number. That could cause an EU government shutdown to rival the dysfunction of Washington and deal a major blow to efforts to enlarge the Union and oppose Russian expansionism.
It is strange to think that Putins strategy of using right-wing extremist political parties to foment disruption and then take advantage -- as he did in Crimea -- could work in southern and western Europe as well. Or that some of the extreme right parties in the European parliament, who work every day to delegitimize the European Union and whose numbers are growing, may be funded by Russia. Yet these possibilities cannot be dismissed. Russia might soon be able to disrupt the EU from within.
To counter Russia, European leaders should start launching public investigations into external funding of extreme-right political parties. If extensive Russia connections are found, it would be important to publicize that fact and then impose sanctions on Russia that would make it more difficult for it to provide such support. Pro-European parties must find a way to mobilize voters who are notoriously unwilling to vote in European parliament elections. Europe will also have to rethink the austerity policies that have worsened the grievances of many Europeans and pushed them to support the anti-system, anti-European right. Although Germany has banned extreme right parties from representation, other countries have not. Germany may have therefore underestimated the extent of damage austerity policies could do to the European project and should rethink how its excessive budget cutting, monetary prudence, and export surpluses are affecting politics in the rest of Europe.
Putins challenge to Europe must be taken seriously. Rather than making another land grab in his back yard, he might watch patiently from the sidelines at the end of May as pro-Russia far-right parties win a dramatic election victory in European parliamentary elections. These elections could weaken the European Union and bring Russias friends on the far right closer to power.
There was military presence all over the peninsula and Ukrainian bases were taken by force. That is occupation; then the Soviet gang voted something to the effect of annexing Crimea, so the occupation continues under this guise. Learn something about the words you are trying to use, then use them.
the Crimean peninsula held a referendum
Referendum that gave no option to stay in Ukraine, conducted under the barrels of Soviet machine guns and rightly boycotted by all interested parties but one, is for kangaroos.
no controlling legal authority in Kiev
LOL. Ukraine has a recognized border and a functioning government recognized by the world community of nations. What the Soviet scum in Kremlin thinks about it is their own business.
Note: this topic was posted 3/29/2014. Thanks annalex.
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