The Hague Affairs in the Summer III: The Normalization of the Far Right

It's summer recess in The Hague. In this period between the fall of the cabinet and the start of a new election campaign, we're inviting writers, scholars, and thinkers to The Hague Affairs to discuss the political times we live in. Because so much has happened in the past year and everything has moved so quickly, we'd like to zoom out a bit.

This week, that person is scientist Léonie de Jonge. She was an associate professor of political science at the University of Groningen. In January 2025, she was appointed professor of right-wing extremism research at the University of Tübingen, Germany. There, she heads the IRex research institute and writes a column for the Groene Amsterdammer.

In this episode of The Hague Affairs, we discuss what the past political year tells us about the normalization of far-right ideology, how to conduct research on the far right—and how that differs in Germany and the Netherlands—and what responsibility lies with science and journalism.

Do you have any questions, suggestions, or ideas about our journalism? Email our editors at [email protected].

Read and listen further:

The Hague Affairs in the Summer I: Angry Voters and Emotions in Politics

The Hague Affairs in the Summer II: on blind spots and politics in therapy

Podcast Today - The soundtrack of the radical right