Reactionary internationalism as a challenge to the liberal international order: European radical right parties and the Russo-Ukrainian war

This article explores the crisis of the liberal international order (LIO), situating it within the global struggle between two narrative alliances: liberal internationalism and reactionary internationalism. By examining the European radical right’s role as a potential Russian proxy and the LIO’s enemy from within, it demonstrates how the Russo-Ukrainian War has shaped rivalry over the international order and assesses whether this conflict has accelerated the disintegration of two internationalist coalitions or reinforced their cohesion. Furthermore, it employs a case study of the European Parliament’s voting behaviour on issues related to the Russo-Ukrainian War to empirically substantiate this analysis and demonstrate how attitudes towards this conflict vary across radical right groups and over time. The findings indicate that the Russo-Ukrainian War has underscored the resilience of the LIO while revealing internal divisions within the reactionary camp, particularly the European radical right. However, due to the ‘catch-all’ nature of reactionary internationalism, these divisions have not hindered the rise of the radical right or the development of a multi-order world. Lastly, the article highlights the complexity of the European radical right, its co-constitutive relationship with the LIO, and its role in mainstream politics.