Right-wing extremism has been on the rise around the world. The January 6, 2021 insurrection that attached the U.S. capital and the August 2020 protest in Berlin which breached the Reichstag building show not only the rise in support for conspiracy theories and extreme political views, but also the danger of militant extremists exploiting such mass mobilization on our democracies.
On this episode, Jeff Rathke and Eric Langenbacher join former AICGS fellow Dr. Cynthia Miller-Idriss, Professor at the School of Public Affairs and School of Education at American University in Washington, DC and a longtime expert on radical and right-extremist subculture, to discuss the phenomenon of rising right-wing worldviews and extremist violence in the United States and Germany. How widespread are such sentiments in the populations today? What are the deeper roots that lead to the growing appeal of extreme political ideas in our societies? Are right-wing extreme movements learning from each other’s tactics? How are the U.S. and German governments dealing with these challenges?

Host
Jeff Rathke, President, AICGS
Guests
Cynthia Miller-Idriss, Professor, American University
Eric Langenbacher, Senior Fellow and Director, Society, Culture & Politics Program