David Broder, “The Far Right Wants to Take Over Europe, and She’s [Georgia Meloni] Leading the Way”

One can’t expect much from David Broder, but some interesting things nonetheless. I’ve been critical of Meloni, but she may end up doing good after all. As they say, politics is the art of the possible.

“There’s just one question on voting day. Do you want an Islamized Europe or a European Europe?”

This stark choice was posed by Marion Maréchal, a rising star of the French far right, at the launch of her party’s campaign for the European elections in June. In an incendiary speech, she spoke of a Europe under siege from “many foreign powers and Islamist organizations profiting from anarchic immigration in their efforts at destabilization, subverting our youth, organizing something like a Fifth Column in our countries and recruiting deadly jihadist soldiers.” She was joined by a stream of speakers bewailing a European project hijacked by L.G.B.T.Q. activists, environmental fanatics and anti-Western ideologues.

Yet for all the apocalyptic anger, this wasn’t a call to quit the European Union. While Ms. Maréchal’s Reconquest party sulfurously accuses elites of orchestrating a Great Replacement of Christians by Muslims, it seeks its own place in the corridors of power. Across the continent, the aim of far-right parties like hers is not to exit the bloc but, increasingly, to take it over. In this project, they have a model: Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy.

Ms. Meloni is already an inspiration to the European far right. As the head of the right-wing coalition in Italy, she has overseen attacks on L.G.B.T.Q. groups and migrant-rescue organizations, a takeover of the public broadcaster and a continuing attempt to change the Constitution to expand executive power. But it’s on the continent where she has really distinguished herself. Combining staunch Atlanticism — commitment to NATO and Ukrainian defense alike — with relentless opposition to immigration and climate policy, she has become a major force in Europe. For the European far right, poised for an advance, Ms. Meloni is leading the way.

Since coming to power in October 2022, Ms. Meloni has impressed many with her pragmatic approach and abandonment of her previous criticism of the European Union. In Brussels, she has developed a reputation for skillful diplomacy. She was christened an Orban whisperer, for example, after helping talk Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary out of vetoing further E.U. aid to Ukraine this year. His change of mind didn’t come without a cost — the European Commission also released 10.2 billion euros, or $10.8 billion, of previously withheld funds for his government — but Ms. Meloni was still crucial to winning him around. …

Ms. Meloni has been at the forefront of plans to further outsource the bloc’s border policing to autocratic North African countries. In July last year, she was in Tunisia to announce a deal to curb migration across the Mediterranean; last month, she did the same in Egypt. Both times she was flanked by Europe’s top official and president of the commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who in January gave her blessing to Ms. Meloni’s broader vision for E.U.-Africa relations. Even as the bloc agrees on new rules for processing migrants once they reach the continent, Italy is working to ensure they don’t arrive in the first place.

Ms. Meloni has also been a thorn in the side of the bloc’s green transition. …

Polls ahead of June’s elections suggest that center-to-far-right forces are on course to win around 50 percent of seats in Parliament. For many on the hard right, this offers a chance to end the grand coalition of Socialists and Christian Democrats that has historically dominated European politics — and instead create a right-wing alliance that would hold the top jobs. In practice, such cooperation is difficult: Center-right leaders say that they will ally only with pro-E.U., pro-NATO, pro-Ukraine and pro-rule-of-law parties. That rules out a decent portion of Europe’s far-right parties, at least for now. It does, however, allow for a full embrace of Ms. Meloni.

More radical forces, following Ms. Meloni’s example, are recalibrating. In Marine Le Pen’s National Rally in France, top figures are walking back their previous NATO-critical stances and distancing themselves from the more intransigent Alternative for Germany. Mr. Orban, long a black sheep in European affairs, is also looking to break out of isolation before Hungary takes over the bloc’s presidency in July. He claims he will join the European Conservatives and Reformists, the group led by Ms. Meloni, after June’s election — a reportedly welcome prospect for the group, even if Mr. Orban’s softness on Russia could be a stumbling block.

Ms. Meloni’s group, dominated by her Brothers of Italy party and Poland’s Law and Justice, isn’t the only European home for far-right forces. There’s also the Identity and Democracy group, which houses France’s National Rally and Italy’s League party. Relations between the two groups aren’t always harmonious. In March, Ms. Le Pen sharply accused Ms. Meloni of planning to re-elect Ms. von der Leyen as head of the commission. Matteo Salvini, leader of the League, insists that right-wingers should refuse to work with centrists.

Even so, polls suggest that the two groups will together win around a quarter of seats, leaving the far right with much more sway no matter who takes the top job. Far from seeking to break up the European Union, these far-right groups are now bidding to put their own stamp on it — to create what Ms. Maréchal calls a “civilizational Europe” rather than the technocratic “commission’s version of Europe.” Ms. Meloni, for her part, seems convinced the two can go together.

Nathan Cofnas has been removed from his position at Cambridge University. I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, he was removed because of his race realism, which I have long agreed with and is apparent in what is posted at TOO (including 27 articles on race realism  and many more on Africans and African-Americans). On the other hand, he has been obsessed with attacking me—often in academic journals (journals that I have published in back in the good old days). See here. In general I have been prevented from responding to him except on my website.

I regard him as an atypical Jewish academic activist: acting to defend the Jewish community—and quite possibly seeing race realism as conforming to the interests of Jews as an intelligent, wealthy elite; recently I heard Alan Dershowitz defend Jewish power, saying something like, “Jews deserve everything they have attained in America.”

Nevertheless Cofnas has attacked some of the ideas on race differences (including IQ) that have been originated and long championed by mainstream Jewish intellectuals and which have become dominant in academia and a pillar of political correctness.

Obviously, I have a very low opinion of Cofnas’s  intellectual honesty, his scholarship (he clearly was unacquainted with the vast majority of the literature reviewed in The Culture of Critique), and even his ability to form cogent arguments—something that one would not expect from a person who is trained in philosophy.

From the Daily Mail:

A fellow at the University of Cambridge who has sparked backlash with his comments on race has been dropped by Emmanuel College where he was a research associate.

Nathan Cofnas, an early career research fellow in the Faculty of Philosophy, is understood to have had his relationship with the college ended following an investigation into his conduct.

Mr Cofnas came under fire in February after he published a blog post which claimed the number of black professors at Harvard would ‘approach zero’ in a meritocracy, and that ‘Blacks would disappear from almost all high-profile positions outside of sports and entertainment.’

He also dismissed equality between people of different ethnicities as a ‘thesis’ that is ‘based on lies’.

Mr Cofnas, who describes himself as a ‘race-realist’, is understood to have been informed of the college’s decision by letter on April 5, which stated his posts were in violation of its diversity and inclusion policies.

According to Varsity, the letter stated: ‘The Committee first considered the meaning of the blog and concluded that it amounted to, or could reasonably be construed as amounting to, a rejection of Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI and EDI) policies.’

It added: ‘The Committee concluded that the core mission of the College was to achieve educational excellence and that diversity and inclusion were inseparable from that. The ideas promoted by the blog therefore represented a challenge to the College’s core values and mission.’ …

The dangerous reality is that the Israelis see this as an opportunity for an endgame against Iran, at least for a considerable period of time. They knew that the attack on the Iranian embassy would result in retaliation from Iran, but they welcomed it because they are confident they can win and that the West will come to their rescue if need be. As a result, expect a very intense response from Israel—enough to set off the all-out war Israel wants, although at present Israel denies they want a wider war. All of this despite pretty much the entire world wanting it to end with Saturday’s attack, including Russia:

Russia too has called for restraint, but defended Iranian actions as done in self-defense. “We have repeatedly warned that the numerous unresolved crises in the Middle East, primarily in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone, which are often fueled by irresponsible provocative actions, will lead to an increase in tension,” its foreign ministry said.

Unlike the West, Russia firmly condemned the prior Israeli attack on Iran’s sovereign embassy:

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday held phone talks with Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. The Russian Foreign Ministry said Lavrov reiterated “decisive condemnation” of an Israeli strike in Syria this month that killed Iranian generals.

Russia has previously condemned Israel’s conduct in its six-month war in Gaza.

Regional media noted of Moscow’s stance: “Russia noted Tehran’s claim that the attack was made within the right to self-defense after the strike in Damascus, which Moscow condemned.”

Interestingly, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said on Telegram that “America does not want a big war in the Middle East” as “The killings in Gaza worsen Biden’s prospects in the elections, and war between Israel and Iran would introduce additional uncertainty.” [Winning the election is the only factor that Biden et al. really care about.]

And Iran will surely respond to another attack by Israel:

As for Tehran, it is warning that in the face of any Israeli assault it will hit back harder. According to BBC Iran correspondent Kasra Naji:

Iran’s IRGC commander: in new equation every time Israel attacks our interests, assets, personalities or citizens, we will hit back from our soil. Israel’s Def Minister: we won’t accept an equation in which Iran responds with a direct attack every time we strike targets in Syria.

Recall that before the Saturday night Iranian attack, Israel’s leadership vowed that a major response would happen if the Islamic Republic directly attacks Israel from its soil. Indeed that’s precisely what Iran did – it launched hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles directly from its territory.

These quotes and the below are from Zero Hedge.

Summary:

• Middle East braces for Israeli ‘retaliation’ attack on Iran after Israel War Cabinet meets
• Israeli Air Force says it has completed ‘preparation’ and that an attack is ‘imminent’
• US officials tell WSJ they believe Israel will launch an anti-Iran operation today
• IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi: Iranian missile and drone attack on Israel “will be met with a response.”
• Netanyahu orders military: draw up a list of targets
• Several major airlines canceling flights to Tel Aviv and whole region.
• State Dept spox: “commitment to Israel’s security is sacrosanct”.
• G7 working on measures against Iran as China, Russia signal weekend attack won’t hurt relations with Tehran
• European allies urge Israel against military response
• Tehran warns that it’s ready to hit back harder.
• IRGC says it is willing to hit back from Iran for any new Israeli escalation, including when it attacks in Syria.
• Iran FM: we warned Washington that response in face of an Israeli attack will be “faster, stronger, and broader” (via AJ).
• US reiterates that it “does not seek conflict with Iran.” …

Meanwhile, from Mondoweiss:

Key Developments 

• Israel kills 46 Palestinians, wounds 110 in the past 24 hours across Gaza, raising the death toll since October 7 to 33,482 and the number of wounded to 76,049, according to the Gaza health ministry.

• Israel considers “determinant” response to Iranian attack that “does not lead to war.”

• UN commissioner for human rights says Israel continues to impose restrictions on aid entry into Gaza.

• Gaza health ministry says remaining power generators could stop working.

• Israeli court rules for expulsion of 35 Palestinians from their homes in Jerusalem.

• World Food Program says humanitarian ceasefire needed to overcome famine in Gaza.

• Israeli settlers kill two Palestinians in the West Bank.