Countering the Illiberal Drift in Europe: Mobilizing Civil Society and Governments to Defend Liberal Democracy

Abstract

In this Task Force, we identify the main drivers of this illiberal drift. We highlight the political strategies that illiberal forces employ to undermine liberal democracy, and offer policy solutions on how to counter these strategies. Our policy report addresses three thematic areas: first, the Politics of Exclusion: covering the cultural arguments that illiberal actors have built around race, migration, gender, and “collective victimhood.” Second, we investigate the Politics of Sovereignty: the backlash against European integration and globalization that have strained Europe’s liberal consensus. Finally, we examine the Politics of Democratic Institutions, interrogating how illiberal parties and states have mobilized against civil society, traditional media, independent political and judicial institutions, and the rule of law.