It is no longer a secret that the world is experiencing what might be called a political earthquake. Political parties, particularly those in Europe that analysts regarded as the “parties of government” throughout the Cold War era, are now struggling for survival. Assumptions of political identity, some of which predate the very concept of the nation state, which emerged in the 19th century, can no longer be taken for granted. Before our eyes, they are faltering under the pressure of populist mo
