Description
This paper analyses the relationship between conspiracy theories, right-wing populism and foreign policy by shedding light on the affective force of conspiracy theories in mobilising “the people”. Drawing on Lacanian psychoanalysis, it conceptualises conspiracy theories as fantasies that promise to satisfy subjects’ desire for a complete identity by accusing “hidden” forces of blocking this perceived-to-be-lost but ultimately unattainable sense of wholeness. The paper argues that conspiracy theories allow populists to appeal to voters through a dualistic representation of global politics that (1)blames conspirators and their puppets as the root of such feelings of lack, (2)transgresses the conventions of the mainstream discourse by appealing to the obscene, and (3)valorises the populist actor for uncovering the insidious plot against the common good and defending popular sovereignty. While conspiracy theories have been studied in other disciplines, the International Relations literature has paid very little attention to them and, if at all, discussed their role in the context of the United States. This article illustrates its arguments with the case of the populist radical right Alternative for Germany and examines the role of conspiracy theories in its attempt to stage itself as “true” representative of the German people and in its foreign policy positions.
