Search

The aim of this paper is to conduct a literature review of the existing nexus between conspiracy theories and populist politics. Most of the literature considering the political nature of conspiracy theories has focused mainly on individual action and electoral choices, hence setting aside the agency of political leaders that deliberately resort to these tales to mobilise supporters. On the contrary, conspiracy theories are increasingly moving away from extremist politics to enter the institutional political arena and become part and parcel of the political narratives and strategies of institutional figures. Against this backdrop, the present work offers a new approach to investigate the connection between populist conspiracy theories and conspiracist populism and attempts to explain how conspiracist populism works and what its potential impact on contemporary democracies is. The analysis of the literature offers some theoretical insights to explore the specific case of the presidency of Kais Saied in Tunisia, which has been labelled as a form of constitutional populism integrating conspiracy theories. The inquiry on the Tunisian case demonstrates that conspiracy theories can represent both tactics and framings for populists in power, and, if democratic checks and balances are weak enough, they can lead to the erosion of democracy itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on in-depth qualitative research, this paper compares and contrasts two different policy approaches to Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) within the European context. On the one hand, the Dutch case relies on a holistic and integrated approach in which a national framework underlies a targeted multi-stakeholder approach to preventing and countering manifestations of violent extremism. On the other hand, while lacking an overarching national policy framework, the Italian case study presents a range of mechanisms and projects aimed at combating violent extremism at the local level. The paper traces the different histories of terrorism and radicalization in the two countries to assess the emergence of these divergent approaches. Subsequently, regional case studies of the Delft and Milan areas are explored in-depth to illustrate how the respective policies are put into action, and to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. The research is based on expert interviews and institutional research involving municipalities, education, social work, and civil society actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article is to provide an in-depth analysis of France's P/CVE (preventing and countering violent extremism) policies. The analysis begins with an overview of how different types of extremism have evolved in the country over time and focuses on the current extremist panorama today. Subsequently, it investigates the national P/CVE plans, analysing them at all three levels of intervention (primary, secondary and tertiary) and considering the extent to which they mobilise different stakeholders. This section specifically takes into account educational policies in France. The author finds that France is equipped with very thorough, well-structured plans that mobilise an array of stakeholders, act at various levels and contain specific education policies. Nonetheless, the French strategy is still highly discussed from various perspectives, and some of the undertaken policies and measures have not achieved the expected goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]