Global Rise of the Dangerous Right-Wing

For some time now, protests have been taking place in Germany against the rising Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party.

AfD is expected to become the second-largest party with 20% of the vote in the February 23 elections. On September 1, 2024, it achieved historic success in the local elections in Thuringia and Saxony. Today, it holds 76 seats in the 733-seat parliament. It first entered parliament in 2017 with 12.6% of the vote as the third-largest party.

German Parliament Seat Distribution

Source: Bundestag - https://www.bundestag.de/en/parliament/plenary/distributionofseats/

Update: November 12, 2024

Parties with the potential to form a government have declared that they will not enter into a coalition with AfD. If these statements are upheld, AfD, even as the second-largest party, will not be able to participate in the government. Due to historical reasons, there is a long-standing tradition in Germany of avoiding political cooperation with far-right parties, referred to as the "brandmauer" (firewall).

Germany is going through a sensitive period with new immigration law debates occurring just before the elections. Friedrich Merz, the leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), received AfD votes in support of submitting a proposal to parliament that would make immigration more difficult. For this reason, he was accused of violating the "brandmauer" principle. Even former Chancellor Angela Merkel criticized Merz. However, the law did not pass in the voting phase.

Trump in the U.S., Orban in Hungary, Milei in Argentina, Farage in the UK, Le Pen in France, Wilders in the Netherlands, Kickl in Austria, Modi in India, etc. These figures represent the rise of the right. Some of them are in power, while others are on the rise.

At the end of the years when liberal democracy was presented as the most suitable regime for human nature, we have now entered a phase where the dangerous right is gaining ground. A similar process occurred at the end of the first wave of globalization, which began with the Industrial Revolutions. Today, there is a global backlash against traditional politics. I understand the reaction, but I have concerns about where it is heading.

No social development has a single cause. Culture, immigration issues, the social consequences of economic developments, psychology, sociology, etc. Many factors interact to produce outcomes or chain reactions. I address these causes from different perspectives in my writings, and I will continue to do so.

It is important to note that approaches damaging democracy are coming to power through democratic means and politicians claiming to be "saviors." Slogans like "Make our country great again" or "Our country comes first" are common themes of the dangerous right. Populism and demagoguery are on the rise.

What is happening in Germany concerns the world. From a historical perspective, the rise of AfD must be taken seriously.

AfD's Manifesto

Let’s take a look at the most controversial ideas in AfD’s party manifesto. What does the manifesto say?

• AfD supports a model of "loosely connected nation-states" for the European Union (EU). If the desired reforms do not take place, it states that Germany should leave the EU or seek its democratic dissolution.

• The manifesto speaks about Germany’s and the world’s elites. This indicates a rejection of traditional politics. Policies prioritizing Germany are emphasized, similar to Trump’s rhetoric of putting America first.

• The text argues that Germany's military defense should be strengthened. It calls for reforms in international organizations like the United Nations (UN) and NATO. It also states that Germany should be a permanent member of the UN Security Council. These views resemble Turkey’s "The world is bigger than five" stance and align with Trump’s demand that NATO member countries allocate 5% of their GDP to defense spending. However, it should be noted that Trump's position reflects his dissatisfaction with the U.S.’s financial burden in NATO.

• AfD believes Europe’s security depends on good relations with Russia and opposes the creation of a European army.

• The manifesto places particular emphasis on the traditional family structure and the care of children and the elderly. It takes a negative stance on abortion. There is no mention of LGBT issues, making the party's stance similar to Trump's.

• AfD sees Germany's low birth rate and aging population as a problem. It calls for reform measures on these topics but does not consider immigration as a solution; rather, it views it as a problem.

• AfD states that it respects freedom of belief and worship. However, it argues that Islam is incompatible with Germany’s liberal-democratic constitutional order, laws, and its humanist and Judeo-Christian cultural foundations. It claims that Sharia law is incompatible with the German legal system and values. This suggests that AfD does not believe secularism and Islam can coexist. The idea that Islam does not belong in Germany is explicitly stated in the manifesto.

• It is clearly expressed that AfD opposes Turkey’s EU membership.

• Although there is no specific reference to Turks, there are statements regarding Muslims living in Germany, which largely include Turks. It states that "Muslims who respect the law and are well-integrated into society are valued citizens." However, it also mentions preventing parallel structures created by Islamic communities based on Sharia law. The manifesto argues that this should not lead to the conclusion that AfD is an Islamophobic party.

• AfD states that gender research will not be supported, as it considers such research politically motivated and not based on scientific criteria.

• The manifesto particularly addresses immigration. It proposes that asylum seekers should apply at centers managed by the UN and the EU in their respective regions before migrating. This is reminiscent of Trump’s policy of sending illegal immigrants to Guantanamo.

• AfD advocates free market competition and supports the "social market economy." The manifesto directly references to Walter Eucken, Alfred Müller-Armack, Wilhelm Röpke, and Ludwig Erhard—figures who shaped Germany’s economic policies after World War II. Eucken was one of the representatives of the economic views known as the Freiburg School, which was developed at the University of Freiburg in the 1930s. Müller-Armack was the person who coined the term “social market economy.” Röpke was a leading advocate of the social market economy and lived in Istanbul between 1933 and 1937 after fleeing the Nazi regime. Erhard served as a minister under Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and was the implementer of the social market economy.

• It states that international trade should be handled according to the principles of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

• AfD believes Germany should abandon the euro and, if necessary, hold a referendum on the matter.

• The party emphasizes reducing bureaucratic processes, which implies significant deregulation.

• It claims that climate changes have occurred since the Earth’s existence and does not recognize the climate change models of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

• AfD declares that it will abolish Germany’s renewable energy law. It argues that wind and solar energy are economically unfeasible for Germany and justifies this with numerical data. It claims that past projects have not reduced carbon emissions and that conventional methods should be used for energy production.

What Is Not in the Manifesto: Statements

The summary above is based on the 95-page manifesto. It does not include all topics. I chose to focus on sections that align with Germany’s and the global agenda.

While there may be parts of the manifesto that we agree or disagree with, there are also statements made by party members that raise concerns.

Alice Weidel, the co-leader of the AfD, describes her party—which everyone views as far-right—as “libertarian conservative.” She cites border security, the energy crisis, and tax cuts as the three most important issues. She wants the EU to be reduced to merely a free trade zone. For the rescue of the struggling German industry, she sees the use of coal and nuclear energy as one of the remedies. She is in favor of resuming energy shipments from Russia via the Nord Stream pipelines, arguing that Germany’s relatively high energy bills have weakened its global competitiveness. Weidel is angry with Merkel for shutting down nuclear power plants.

The AfD’s approach to immigration is not limited to illegal immigrants. It also involves an attitude toward those who immigrate to Germany and subsequently obtain citizenship. This stance is extremely dangerous and is one of the main reasons the party is labeled “far-right.”

Weidel has no principled objection to Elon Musk’s support for the party. For some time now, Musk has been sharing views that see AfD as Germany’s savior, even joining the party’s propaganda meetings via video. Accepting such transatlantic support for a party that speaks of Germany’s sovereignty can only be explained as opportunism—not a principled political stance.

According to a report prepared in 2024 by the German Institute for Human Rights, the AfD is a party that aims to dismantle the basic free democratic order.

Some party members have anti-Semitic and anti-Islamic rhetoric. There are those within the party who regard the Nazi era as “just a speck of bird poop in more than 1,000 years of successful German history.” Alexander Gauland, who holds this view, goes even further by stating that Germans should be proud of the successful German soldiers in both world wars.

January 27, 2025, marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz prisoners. 99-year-old Albrecht Weinberg—who survived the Nazi genocide and lost his parent in Auschwitz—announced that he would return to the president the federal merit medal awarded to him. His reason: Merz, relying on AfD votes, had managed to pass a motion through parliament.

Weidel describes Merz’s party, the CDU, as leftist and even communist. With such a conceptual confusion, it is impossible to understand how they adhere to the principles of the social market economy.

I understand a country’s attempt to protect its order, people, culture, and economy against illegal immigrants. However, the AfD’s anti-Semitic and race-based rhetoric is a major cause for concern. In this context, one might discuss philosophical views on Islam. But how can Gauland’s 2017 remarks—calling for the disposal of social democrat Aydan Özoğuz, who even made it to the German parliament—and Weidel’s endorsement of Gauland be explained in terms of democratic principles? This worry is driving masses in Germany to protest. They don’t want the “Brandmauer” to be breached.

Bach, Goethe, and Schiller were born in the state of Thuringia, where the AfD achieved historic electoral success. The AfD’s manifesto speaks of Germany’s rich cultural heritage. In a sense, it alludes to Goethe, who embraced Hafez of Persia in West-östlicher Divan, and to Schiller, who dedicated the “Ode to Joy” poem—with its words “all men will become brothers”—to Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.

Today, the AfD is full of contradictions, and it has created polarization in Germany. Its rhetoric indicates that the gentle lines written in its manifesto will not remain so. In the end, however, we cannot ignore the responsibility of mainstream politics and economics on a global scale for today's deep problems—Trump, Modi, Milei, Orban, etc.

Today, in some former concentration camps turned into museums, an inscription reads: nie wieder (never again).