Resume
The “Third Position” as a Specific Aspect of Hybrid Influence in Some Western European Countries
plk. Mgr. Kristýna Holubová, Ph.D., Police Academy of the Czech Republic in Prague, Faculty of Security Management, Department of Crisis Management
Mgr. Lenka Jakubcová, Ph.D., Police Academy of the Czech Republic in Prague, Faculty of Security Management, Department of Crisis Management
Mgr. Petr Klíma, MPA, Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic, Crime Prevention Department
doc. Mgr. Oldřich Krulík, Ph.D., Criminal Police and Investigation Service Office, Central Analytics Department
Abstract
The concept of the third position (International Third Position, ITP, sometimes also referred to as national anarchism, Strasserism, or communitarianism) can be understood as an ideological mixture that emerged within the framework of national or transnational communication between supporters of the far right in several countries who wanted to avoid being labelled as neo-Nazis or neo-fascists. The concept, although not well-established, includes both traditional ultra-right narratives (nationalism, neo-Nazism, anti-Semitism, anti-immigrant rhetoric, Holocaust denial, or white supremacy views), as well as left-wing approaches (support for nationalisation or other forms of redistribution of property) or otherwise defined concepts (extensive environmental protection, neo-romantic conviction about the unspoiled nature of the countryside, or emphasis on spirituality). In specific cases, these are groups of intellectuals capable of generating “ideological ammunition” for a wider spectrum of extremists or radicals. The economic theory of the third position itself is an example of a concept that is as potentially appealing as it is unrealisable. The article indicatively maps organisations or persons that can be included in this ideological concept in specific countries, with an emphasis on Western European countries (Italy, France, the United Kingdom, Germany). The submitted paper is based on a qualitative content analysis of relevant secondary sources, supplemented by a comparative evaluation of four case studies. Attention is also paid to possible connections between the topic and hybrid action by the Russian Federation – which can be perceived as an actor that ideologically and apparently also otherwise supports various European anti-system actors, including supporters of the third position. As difficult as it is, the authors’ ambition is to identify a certain secondary scientific framework in relation to the topic, present in the existing relevant professional studies to date. Recommendations for the security community in relation to the topic are also formulated here. The contribution builds thematically on the authors’ previously published study examining the third position as a distinctive component of the social and political spectrum in selected Central and Eastern European countries.
Keywords: third position; radicals; radicalism; ideological background; violent extremism; propaganda; alternative; ideology; hybrid action.