ROMÂNIA ȘI COMPORTAMENTUL EXTREMISTRULUI DE DREAPTA: ABORDARE DE REȚEA
ROMANIA AND RIGHT-WING EXTREMIST BEHAVIOR: A NETWORK APPROACH

Summary/Abstract: The 2011 Norway attacks conducted by Anders Breivik and his manifesto “2083 - A European Declaration of Independence” have returned right-wing extremism into the limelight of politics and the academic community.The paper starts from the hypothesis that right-wing extremist entities from Eastern and Western Europe tend to form an informal network, although they don’t perceive themselves as such. Traditionally, right-wing extremist organizations are closely-knit on the inside and isolationist on the outside. However, socio-political evolutions in Europe, namely the creation of the European Union and the technological transformations brought on by the Knowledge Age have effectively forced them into establishing cooperation relations.By using the network society theoretical model developed by Manuel Castells this study aims to prove that regarded as a whole all these bi-lateral and multi-lateral relations form an informal network of organizations, which share common goals and are united by ideological affinity. According to Castells, a network has no center, just nodes with different functions, which is in accordance with the autonomy claim of extremist entities and the manner in which they relate among themselves.The interaction between right-wing radical groups has multiple layers, each providing valuable insight on the nature of the relations established. Therefore, this paper addresses several types of ties: interconnectivity of sites, organization and participation in common events, exchange of know-how and transfer of ideology. Furthermore, we have selected the case of the Romanian radical nationalist organization Noua Dreaptă to serve as an example for the multiple layers of interaction developed between far-right organizations in the Balkans and similar entities from Western Europe. As other organizations of its kind, Noua Dreaptă claims total autonomy. However, this study proves that it behaves just as a node within a wider European network, replicating the model and adapting to the behavior of similar organizations.

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