Germany’s Firewall Has Completely Failed

An analysis in Foreign Policy argues that Germany's political firewall against the AfD — the cross-party pact to never govern with it — has coincided with the party's rise to roughly 28 percent nationally and above 40 percent in some eastern states.

The piece notes the AfD may soon win an outright majority in Saxony-Anhalt's September 6 election, putting policing, education and budget policy in its hands. The author argues the firewall has let AfD voters cast a risk-free protest vote while shielding the party from the consequences of governing, and that other European far-right parties moderated as they grew while the AfD radicalized instead.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.