Pegida Goes Europe: Fear Is the Key

{
  "authors": [
    "Judy Dempsey"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
    "Carnegie Europe"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "ctw",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Europe",
  "programAffiliation": "EP",
  "programs": [
    "Europe"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "Europe",
    "Western Europe",
    "Germany",
    "Iran"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "EU",
    "Security"
  ]
}

In The Media

Carnegie Europe

Pegida Goes Europe: Fear Is the Key

The Pegida movement has awoken Germany, but Islamophobia is a Europe-wide phenomenon whose roots lie in the alienation of citizens from politics.

By Judy Dempsey

Published on Jan 22, 2015

Source: Deutsche Welle

Speaking to Deutsche Welle’s Quadriga, Judy Dempsey argued that the Pegida movement of “Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West” has awoken German society.

“The public space is changing in Germany,” warned Judy Dempsey. “Germany is not unique. . . . There is the fear of the other, the fear of the foreigner. . . . This is a European phenomenon.” In fact, Germany is only the latest country in Europe to tap into the surrounding atmosphere of Islamophobia.

As for the underlying causes of this surge, Dempsey explained that one of the problems is that “with the bureaucratization of politics and globalization, the feeling of identity between politicians and citizens is widening.” The mainstream political parties “haven’t adapted to the postmodernization of Europe, to globalization, and to [the need to] adapt policies and politics to society and its citizens.” The question of alienation between the state, political parties, and society is one of Europe’s biggest problems today.

This broadcast was originally aired on Deutsche Welle.

About the Author

Judy Dempsey

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Carnegie Europe

Judy Dempsey is a nonresident senior fellow at Carnegie Europe

Recent Work

Commentary
Europe Needs to Hear What America is Saying
- Judy Dempsey
Commentary
Babiš’s Victory in Czechia Is Not a Turning Point for European Populists
- Judy Dempsey

EU Security Europe Western Europe Germany Iran

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Report
Europe from Scratch: Visions for a New European Order
As the EU confronts profound challenges, several leaders have called for fundamental reform to the union’s model—but only modest, superficial changes have resulted. What if Europe really could be reimagined from zero today: What should such a redesigned European order look like?
Richard Youngs, ed.
Commentary
Carnegie Politika
What Should We Take From Andrey Melnichenko’s Essay in the Economist?
Andrey Melnichenko’s essay offers no answer to the fundamental question of how, under any kind of negotiated settlement, Europe can protect itself from the Russian ressentiment that is inevitable in all scenarios except for an outright victory for Putin.
Leonid Bershidsky
Commentary
Strategic Europe
European Sycophancy Worked on Trump
Nearly a year and a half after Europeans leaned into sucking up to Trump, the strategy has produced some benefits when it comes to Ukraine.
Rym Momtaz
Commentary
How NATO Became Anchored in the Black Sea
As Russia's war on Ukraine drags on, NATO is expanding its footprint in the Black Sea. Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria are upgrading their fleets and deepening trilateral cooperation.
Dimitar Bechev
Commentary
Strategic Europe
The Le Pen Verdict: How French Politics Turned MAGA
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen can—and will—run in France’s next presidential election. What does the outcome of her appeal against a 2025 embezzlement conviction mean for the country’s political future?
Catherine Fieschi

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Report

Europe from Scratch: Visions for a New European Order

As the EU confronts profound challenges, several leaders have called for fundamental reform to the union’s model—but only modest, superficial changes have resulted. What if Europe really could be reimagined from zero today: What should such a redesigned European order look like?

Richard Youngs, ed.

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

What Should We Take From Andrey Melnichenko’s Essay in the Economist?

Andrey Melnichenko’s essay offers no answer to the fundamental question of how, under any kind of negotiated settlement, Europe can protect itself from the Russian ressentiment that is inevitable in all scenarios except for an outright victory for Putin.

Leonid Bershidsky

Commentary

Strategic Europe

European Sycophancy Worked on Trump

Nearly a year and a half after Europeans leaned into sucking up to Trump, the strategy has produced some benefits when it comes to Ukraine.

Rym Momtaz

Commentary

How NATO Became Anchored in the Black Sea

As Russia's war on Ukraine drags on, NATO is expanding its footprint in the Black Sea. Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria are upgrading their fleets and deepening trilateral cooperation.

Dimitar Bechev

Commentary

Strategic Europe

The Le Pen Verdict: How French Politics Turned MAGA

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen can—and will—run in France’s next presidential election. What does the outcome of her appeal against a 2025 embezzlement conviction mean for the country’s political future?

Catherine Fieschi