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Claims about the activities of fifth columns are experiencing an upsurge in our era of democratic erosion and geopolitical uncertainty. This pathbreaking multidisciplinary volume brings together leading scholars to break new ground in the study of fifth columns and the politics that surround them. It uses an original theoretical framework within the tradition of qualitative social science and analyzes cases from three continents.
Enemies Within offers a unique perspective to better understand contemporary challenges including the rise of populism and authoritarianism, the return of chauvinistic nationalism, the weakening of democratic norms, and the persecution of ethnic or religious minorities and political dissidents.
List of contents
- List of Tables and Figures
- Preface
- List of Contributors
- Introduction: Theorizing Fifth-Column Politics
- Scott Radnitz and Harris Mylonas
- Part 1: Subversive Fifth-Column Politics
- Chapter 1
- The Enemy Within: Divisive Political Discourse in Modern Poland
- Volha Charnysh
- Chapter 2
- Antisemitic Tropes, Fifth Columnism and "Soros-Bashing":
- The Curious Case of Central European University
- Erin K. Jenne, András Bozóki, Péter Visnovitz
- Chapter 3
- Civil Society, Fifth-Column Perceptions, and Wartime deportations:
- Japanese and German Americans
- H. Zeynep Bulutgil and Sam Erkiletian
- Chapter 4
- The Geopolitics of "Fifth Column" Framing in Xinjiang
- Kendrick Kuo and Harris Mylonas
- Part 2: Collusive Fifth-Column Politics
- Chapter 5
- No Collusion! Or is There? Presidents as Puppets in Russia and the United States
- Scott Radnitz
- Chapter 6
- "Sellers of the Homeland": Narratives of Treason and Fidelity in Afghanistan
- Robert D. Crews
- Part 3: Challenges to Fifth-Column Politics
- Chapter 7
- Security Threats or Citizens? Fifth-Column Rhetoric in Jordan
- Lillian Frost
- Chapter 8
- External or Internal Enemies?:
- Polish Citizens in Interwar France and the Ethnic Politics of Citizenship
- Kathryn Ciancia
- Chapter 9
- Imagined Treason and Post-Lavender Scare Politics:
- How LGBTQ Communities Respond to Fifth Column Accusations
- Samer M. Anabtawi
- Chapter 10
- When Fifth Columns Fall:
- Religious Groups and Loyalty Signaling in Erdo?an's Turkey
- Kristin E. Fabbe and Efe Murat Balikcioglu
- Conclusion: Fifth-Column Politics Revisited
- Scott Radnitz and Harris Mylonas
About the author
Harris Mylonas is associate professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University and editor-in-chief of Nationalities Papers.
Scott Radnitz is the Herbert J. Ellison Professor of Russian and Eurasian Studies in the Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington.
Summary
The invocation of fifth columns in the political arena -- whether contrived or based on real fears -- has recurred periodically throughout history and is experiencing an upsurge in our era of democratic erosion and geopolitical uncertainty. Fifth columns accusations can have baleful effects on governance and trust, as they call into question the loyalty and belonging of the targeted populations. They can cause human rights abuses, political repression, and even ethnic cleansing. Enemies Within is the first book to systematically investigate the roots and implications of the politics of fifth columns. In this volume, a multidisciplinary group of leading scholars address several related questions: When are actors likely to employ fifth-column claims and against whom? What accounts for changes in fifth-column framing over time? How do the claims and rhetoric of governments differ from those of societal groups? How do accusations against ethnically or ideologically defined groups differ? Finally, how do actors labeled as fifth columns respond? To answer these questions, the contributors apply a common theoretical framework and work within the tradition of qualitative social science to analyze cases from three continents, oftentimes challenging conventional wisdom. Enemies Within offers a unique perspective to better understand contemporary challenges including the rise of populism and authoritarianism, the return of chauvinistic nationalism, the weakening of democratic norms, and the persecution of ethnic or religious minorities and political dissidents.
Additional text
Enemies Within opens a new field of study. There are scant references to the bewildering phenomenon of fifth columns in the literature, but the contributors to this intriguing volume show the widespread use of 'fifth column politics' in many different historical and geographical contexts. They masterfully dissect the concept and provide impressive, rigorous, and very rich case studies.
