But what led to these shameful machinations goes far deeper: the increasing normalization of the radical right in German politics. Leading Christian Democrats from several states have declared their willingness to work with the far-right party. Both the Free Democrats, under their leader Christian Lindner, and the Christian Democrats have moved their policy platforms in an anti-immigrant direction. Neither Ms. Merkel nor the party’s new leader, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, have created clear boundaries between their party and the far right. One major factor is the obsession of many German centrists with the so-called horseshoe theory of politics, where the far left and the far right are equivalent.

Source: New York Times February 07, 2020 16:30 UTC