Can the Center Hold? Thomas Biebricher on the International Crisis of Conservatism
In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Thomas Biebricher – author of the new book “Mitte/Rechts: Die international Krise des Konservatismus” (Center/Right: The International Crisis of Conservatism) – discusses conservatism’s various types and how each relates to the political center and to authoritarianism; illuminates the contemporary crisis of the center right in three major European countries; explains what has driven the culturalization of politics and the redrawing of enemy images, and why the authoritarian right has been a prime beneficiary of those trends; and reflects on how his approach and special emphases relate and add to other contributions to the ongoing debate on the present state and future prospects of liberal democracy.