(21.6.2016) Early 2016 has seen a series of surprise victories and near-victories for far-right political parties across Europe. This has coincided with the mainstreaming of xenophobic discourses in the United States through the rhetoric of the leading Republican presidential candidates, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.

But unknown to most, this far-right resurgence signals the return to prominence of traditional far-right groups, whose modes of operation have tactically evolved over decades in an effort to re-take power in liberal democracies.

This resurgence has been partly facilitated by two mainstream political parties, the Conservative Party, currently the ruling party in Britain led by Prime Minister David Cameron, and the ruling Christian Democratic Party (CDU) in Germany led by Chancellor Angela Merkel.