Why Europe’s Far Right Can’t Be Tamed

As a far-right tide sweeps across the Atlantic, European liberal democrats are searching for a strategy. Some believe that they should erect stronger firewalls by refusing to join coalitions that include the far right to prevent its leaders from gaining political power. Others—for instance, Manfred Weber, the president of the center-right European People’s Party in the European Parliament—have advocated cooperating with certain far-right parties in the hope of cajoling specific leaders away from extremes by offering them a seat at the table.