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Us Vs. Them in Central and Eastern Europe

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Us Vs. Them in Central and Eastern Europe analySiS Us vs. Them in Central and Eastern Europe Populism, the Refugee Other and the Re-Consideration of National Identity Jenna alThoff • veroniKa JÓŹWiaK • rahela JUrKoviĆ • anna KyriaZi • Chiara milan • ed: andrÁS SZalai July 2018 Jenna Althoff’s contribution uses quantitative methods to investigate how the media in two key states, Austria and Hungary, have contributed to the framing of the migra- tion crisis. Specifi cally, she raises the crucial question which role media can play in turning migration into a secrutiy issue, thereby severely limiting the kind of policy ans- wers that are imaginable. Veronika Jóźwiak offers a snapshot of how Poland, an EU member state that is hosti- le to migration despite not being its target, formulates a political coalition along the refugee issue. Largely focused on the Visegrád 4 group with vocal opponents of migration such as Hungary, this coalition will have a say in how the EU develops in the near future. Rahela Jurković’s analysis also offers a glimpse into how refugees see their diffi cult journey to Europe, as well as the societies they pass through. Using qualitative inter- views, she contrasts the frequently hostile rhetoric of Croatian politicians with the deeply personal stories of refugees on their way to Austria. Anna Kyriazi is comparing the Greek bailout referendum on economic reform and the Hungarian migrant quota referendum on the relocation quotas proposed by the Euro- pean Union. The study shows that populists on both end of the political spectrum can use growing Europscepticism for political gains. Chiara Milan takes us back to the fi eld: she fi nds that the refugee situation of 2015 has given birth to a remarkable strength of solidarity in the post-Yugoslav states of the Balkan route. The paper analyses the phenomenon and reveals the factors that fostered local solidarity initiatives. US vS. Them in CenTral and eaSTern eUrope – popUliSm, The refUgee Other and The re-ConSideraTion of naTional idenTiTy Content preface – andrás Szalai. 3 Constructing national and Supranational identities in Times of Crisis: a Comparison between the greek “Bailout” referendum and the hungarian “migrant Quota” referendum – anna Kyriazi. .5 refugees like Us: Solidarity in Transition along the Western Balkan route – Chiara milan . 22 political discourse on refugees Compared to refugees’ individual Stories: The Case of Croatia – rahela Jurković . .30 media framings of the „long Summer of migration“ 2015 in hungary and austria – Jenna althoff. 41 The polish perspective on the v4‘s Coalition Building along the refugee issue – veronika Jóźwiak . .57 about the Contributors . .63 imprint . 64 2 US VS. THEM IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE – POPULISM, THE REFUGEE OtHER AND THE RE-CONSIDERATION OF NATIONAL IDENTITY Preface narrative opposes migration, advocates for stricter András Szalai border control, and rejects multiculturalism. The other sees the migration issue – people are rather The European Union (EU) faced an unprecedent- referred to as refugees – as a humanitarian crisis ed challenge in 2015. Commonly described as and emphasizes the moral responsibility of the na- the migration crisis, a strong influx of refugees tions of Europe towards refugees. In the past two arrived to the continent. These refugees mostly years, EU member states have landed on one of came through the Balkan route, which spans from these narratives, creating a new political cleavage the Turkish-Greek border all the way to Austria that might have far-reaching consequences not and Germany. The sudden arrival of more than a only for migration policy, but also for the European million people put the EU and its member states integration project in general. under considerable political and administrative stress, producing a multitude of politicized—and This publication seeks to offer a somber, analyti- in many cases securitized—narratives on what the cal take beyond these stark divisions. It contains a crisis was about, and what was at stake. Disagree- collection of essays presented at the two confer- ment has been mounting among member states, ences ‘Us vs. them: Populism, the Refugee Other and to this day a common, union-wide policy an- and the Re-consideration of National Identity in swer is lacking. Central and Eastern Europe’ and ‘An Occasional Alliance or a New Power in Europe? The V4’s Co- The political and policy problem of mass migra- alition Building along the Refugee Issue’ in 2017. tion will continue to present a significant test for They were organized together by the Center for European institutions, and is a worthy topic for European Neighborhood Studies at CEU and the academic investigation. However, the authors of regional project “Flight, Migration, Integration in this volume believe that an exlusive focus on the Europe” of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. Written by European Union on the one hand, and on the po- five scholars, the essays offer new ideas present- liticization of migration on the other, underplays ed through the most up-to-date methods in politi- the complexity of the issue and also keeps many cal science and migration studies. important voices silent, most notably those of the refugees themselves. This limited, and in some Anna Kyriazi’s study enables us to see some of sense navel-gazing approach to the issue at hand the complexity of the migration issue, and its role is already visible in the terminology that by now in contemporary European politics. Comparing we have come to accept as: the “migration crisis”. the recent referenda in Greece and Hungary, she Whose crisis is this complex, global phenomenon? shows that populists on both end of the politi- Certainly not that of Europe alone. But even if we cal spectrum can use growing Europskepticism focus on Europe and the EU, is this a political, pol- for political gains. Though the Greek ballot was icy, institutional or humanitarian crisis? What is at about economic reform, and the Hungarian about stake here? And can we still refer to something as the relocation quotas proposed by the European a crisis more than two years after it started? Commission, the two campaigns leading up to the referenda show striking similarities. Thus, Kyriazi The European political discourse around migration suggests that the discourse around the migration is even more limited than its academic counterpart. issue is not simply about tailoring effective and The current politics of migration can be seen as a democratic policy responses to a well-defined framing war between two extreme narratives that problem, but also about the future of the European often seem mutually exclusive, making common project itself. policy solutions hard to come by. One depicts mi- gration – people are referred to as illegal migrants Next, Chiara Milan takes us back to the field: she – towards Europe as a security problem, mostly finds that the refugee situation of 2015 has given connected to terrorism and an identity challenge birth to a remarkable strength of solidarity in the to a perceived Christian European culture. This post-Yugoslav states of the Balkan route. Her in- 3 US VS. THEM IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE – POPULISM, THE REFUGEE OtHER AND THE RE-CONSIDERATION OF NATIONAL IDENTITY depth analysis of the phenomenon reveals that two factors fostered local solidarity initiatives. First, the identification of the locals with the mi- grants, stemming from their personal experiences during the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s. Second, the transitory nature of the phenomenon, which weakened the perception of migration as a threat to these societies. Rahela Jurković’s analysis also offers a glimpse into how refugees see their difficult journey to Eu- rope, as well as the societies they pass through. Using qualitative interviews, she contrasts the frequently hostile rhetoric of Croation politicians with the deeply personal stories of refugees on their way to Austria. Jenna Althoff’s contribution uses quantitative methods to investigate how the media in two key states, Austria and Hungary, have contributed to the framing of the migration crisis. Specifically, she raises the crucial question which role media can play in turning migration into a secrutiy issue, thereby severely limiting the kind of policy an- swers that are imaginable. Finally, Veronika Jóźwiak offers a snapshot of how Poland, an EU member state that is hostile to migration despite not being its target, formu- lates a political coalition along the refugee issue. Largely focused on the Visegrád 4 group with vo- cal opponents of migration such as Hungary, this coalition will have a say in how the EU develops in the near future. The structural forces that fuel migration towards Europe are here to say. The Balkan route may very well stay mostly closed for the foreseeable future, but the states of the European Union will have to accommodate the idea mass migration in some form. Such a complex issue demands complex answers, and the authors of this publica- tion strongly believe that critical analysis and new ideas are the first necessary step. 4 US VS. THEM IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE – POPULISM, THE REFUGEE OtHER AND THE RE-CONSIDERATION OF NATIONAL IDENTITY Constructing National and Supranational Introduction Identities in Times of Crisis: A Compari- son between the Greek “Bailout” Referen- For decades, the majority of national referendums dum and the Hungarian “Migrant Quota” across Europe have endorsed European Union Referendum (EU) membership and treaties (Tilindyte 2016). Anna Kyriazi However, in a recent round of consecutive ballots, the European cause has not fared as well as be- Abstract fore. This tendency is symptomatic of the political conflict emerging under the shadow of the large- This paper seeks to advance understanding of the scale structural transformation engendered by recent rejuvenation of the idiom of nationalism the increasingly free movement of goods, capital, and national self-determination in Europe, in con- services, people, technology and information on junction with the increased appeal of populism a global scale.
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