Why This Blog? Why focus on European Far Right Parties?

My interest in European Far Right parties was first awakened several years ago when I was visiting my family in Austria. I think Haider's far right party, the FPÖ had just entered coalition with the Austrian government. Austria's Freedom Party, a party based on dubious ideals of "homeland" and "tradition" was widely supported by many of my family's neighbors and aquaintances- people who I did not think would vote for such an extreme party. I began to ask, why is it that this extremism has taken hold in such a well-educated, well-off society? Why was it, that the multiculturalism I so loved growing up in the United States was met with such opposition in Europe?

Around the same time, I also started hearing many complaints about the European Union that were completely opposed to what I had learned about in my classes and lectures. Whereas my academic education taught me about the EU's goals of peace and freedom, most of the things I heard from locals in Austria were negative. Rather than lauding the EU's goals of harmony, and economic power, locals complained about the Common Agricultural Policy's regulations on bananas and other issues I considered trivial. Yet, these "trivial" complaints created a substantial issue- Austria was, in many Eurobarometer surveys shown to be the most Euroskeptic nation.

  I eventually wrote an Honor's thesis at UCSD about Euroskepticism in Austria, which not only tied Haider to Austria's pessimistic view of the EU, but similar to qualms faced by many other European nations. Since then, I've seen many apparent contradictions between a a liberal Europe and many of its increasingly restrictive policies and politics.

This blog aims to educate about issues related to the growth of these far right parties,   xenophobia, migration, Europeanization, and integration. Why is it happening? Eventually, I'd like to address the larger issue of how to combat this intolerance and closed-mindedness.

 What are viable public policy options to promote peaceful, multicultural, living environments without creating intolerant reactions? To what extent is European integration possible? Does the emergence of a European Identity necessarily preclude certain groups or ideals?