New project to investigate whether a new right-wing international order is taking shape

The Independent Research Fund Denmark has awarded this year’s grants to innovative research projects under the DFF Research Project 1 instrument. Among the grant recipients is Associate Professor Vincent Keating from the Center for War Studies at the University of Southern Denmark. Fellow Center for War Studies researcher Sofie Rose has also received funding in this funding round.

With a grant of almost DKK 3.7 million, Vincent Keating will investigate how far-right governments are cooperating and whether they are building an alternative to the liberal international order.

- It’s common knowledge that these governments are challenging the current international order. However, the key question is whether they simply share common interests or whether they are also building a new, alternative global system. That is exactly what I intend to investigate, says Vincent Keating.

Are the ties enduring?

The project will examine whether far-right governments develop enduring ties and common policy frameworks, or whether their cooperation is more limited and contingent on specific circumstances.

The research project aims to create the first systematic mapping of the far-right international order. In doing so, the project will contribute new insights into how cooperation between these governments is developing and what implications this may have for international politics.

Significance for international cooperation

- Far-right governments are no longer isolated actors in international politics. If they create networks and coordinate their actions, it could affect the international institutions and collaborations we are part of. The project seeks to give us a better understanding of the mechanisms at play and of how countries like Denmark can navigate in an EU and an international community characterised by potential new right-wing coalitions, says Vincent Keating.

The title of the project is: International Social Order of the Far Right (ISOFAR).

This year, the Independent Research Fund Denmark has awarded grants to 24 researchers from the University of Southern Denmark under the DFF Research Project 1.