Haider's Revolution or the Future Has Just Begun

Abstract

Examines the ascendance of the extremist right-wing Freedom Party of Austria (FPO) & the "Haider phenomenon" that led the EU to impose sanctions against Austria. Freedom Party (FPO) leader Jorg Haider has been described as "Europe's most successful politician of the past decade," & fear that the "Haider effect" might be contagious was a prime impetus behind the sanctions. It is argued that Haider's success represents neither a "resurgence of Nazism" nor a "new type of fascism." The FPO is neither anti-democratic nor racist, & doesn't promote violence as a means for achieving political goals. Rather, Haider is a "charismatic populist" whose politics are not consistent with traditional notions of the Left or Right, but a new pattern of political discourse formed from elements of various political traditions & struggles. It is maintained that Haider's new politics alternate between the two seemingly incompatible positions of "ethnocratic liberalism" & "exclusionary welfarism." Key components involved in how Haider deals with the past are explored, along with prospects for the FPO's continued success. J. Lindroth