Chancellor Merkel is simply losing control of the situation. She acted based on a purely humanistic position and politicized this humanism.

       "The political parties, which have been comfortably running Germany over the past decades, have for the first time felt a new opposition coming from the right of German society. Experts attribute the rise of right-wing forces directly with Angela Merkel, her government and Europe in general for not being in a position to limit the flow of Arab refugees from the Middle East and North Africa," Professor Alexander Rahr, Research Director at the German-Russian Forum, said in an interview with www.valdaiclub.com .

       How does the migration crisis affect the balance of political forces in Germany?

       One could say that such a political commotion in Germany is something unheard of in the past several decades. It’s an unprecedented destabilization of Germany’s political system. Therefore, understandably, many politicians, both those with vested interests and the ruling parties, have for many years considered themselves part of the mainstream and have now become very concerned.

       Germany possesses a characteristic hard for an outsider to grasp: it is very anxious about not being seen doing or saying anything that is even remotely reminiscent of fascist or Nazi rhetoric. Europe is capable of turning a blind eye to rightist sentiments in any country victimized by Hitler's Nazism 70 to 80 years ago, but not to Germany. Such sentiments in these countries get their share of criticism, but they are not perceived in Europe as a moral disaster. However, any right-wing parties in Germany (there have been a few over the past decades), are "trampled into the ground." That was the case with The Republicans, and the same is now going on with the National Democratic Party, whose fate is hanging by a thread as there have been attempts by the Constitutional Court to ban it. Parties like that have invariably been squeezed out from Germany’s political field.

       Admittedly, most Germans have been conditioned to be wary of things, such as nationalism, racism or rhetoric reminiscent of Nazi Germany. The mainstream media plays an important part here, having assumed the role of "the Inquisition" in these matters.

       Therefore, a sharp increase in the activities of the right-wing movement, Alternative for Germany (AfD), has given a big scare to Germany’s political establishment. This movement lures in voters by lobbying and focusing on one single issue - limiting the flow of refugees to Germany, a tactic that lands them an additional several percentage points of the vote each and every week.

       In 2016, there will be elections in Germany. According to opinion polls, AfD is the third most popular party in Germany. Of course, they don’t have as much clout as the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), or even the Social Democratic Party, but they are way ahead of The Greens and The Left in terms of popularity.

       How influential is the PEGIDA movement (Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West - Patriotische Europ？er gegen die Islamisierung des Abendlandes)?

       The PEGIDA is influential in a number of urban areas in eastern Germany. Here again, it’s appropriate to mention Germany’s immunity to nationalism.

       After WWII, several generations of West Germans grew up having any nationalist ideas completely uprooted from their minds. In the former East Germany they also fought this mentality, but not as fiercely as in West Germany. Therefore, nationalist sentiment has manifested itself most strongly in eastern German cities, such as Dresden, Leipzig and other smaller towns.

       The PEGIDA is not a party but an association of people who are dissatisfied with the current policy of Chancellor Merkel, political parties and mainstream politicians. Its members believe that the mainstream media is lying about the key issues of domestic policy. They say that the refugee flow must be limited because they are concerned about Germany’s Islamization. Therefore the PEGIDA movement is on the rise. More and more people, who never had rightist beliefs, are taking to the streets to protest against Merkel’s refugee policy.

       Political parties which have been comfortably running Germany over the past decades for the first time feel a new opposition coming from the right of German society, which is new for Germany because this movement has always been uprooted in the past the moment it arose. Experts associate this rise of right-wing forces directly with Angela Merkel, her government and Europe in general for their not being in a position to limit the flow of Arab refugees from the Middle East and North Africa.

       Merkel is believed to have made her only correct decision when she allowed Syrian refugees into the country, only to tighten her policy against them later. Do you share this thinking?

       I think Chancellor Merkel is simply losing control of the situation. She acted based on a purely humanistic position and politicized this humanism. She has always tried to show that she not only talks about values, but also acts in accordance with her beliefs.

       However, many think that she overdid it by placing such a huge burden on her country. Integrating the Arab population is a fairly tall order, and Germany has no relevant experience.

       Merkel decided to prove that Germany will cope with this problem. The premise was that it doesn’t matter where the people come from, whether or not they are part of the European culture. Humanism and high morals were supposed to help the country to cope with this flow. And half of the German population went along with her...

       This is hard to understand from the outside and quite easy from the inside. Germany still carries strong feelings of guilt that stretch back to the times of Nazi Germany. Many generations of Germans who had nothing to do with that war are now grown up. Still, when abroad they receive dirty looks and this reminds them of the WWII atrocities described in the films, books, and school curricula of now friendly nations.

       And now, through the humane act of taking in other people (as opposed to the times when people in that country were persecuted, the minorities were killed, either in gas chambers or concentration camps), the Germans have shown their superior openness, superior morals and superior humanism. This is an opportunity for them to show the world that the Germans have made a sacrifice (letting in one to two million people is nothing short of a sacrifice) in order to redeem themselves in the face of history, other nations and themselves. According to observations and surveys, many Germans believe that self-cleaning through integration of refugees is beneficial for their country.

       The only problem lies in what the other half of the population in Germany thinks. They are against this integration, and believe that the very idea is some kind of a fantasy that can never be realized. This issue is causing a great deal of skepticism in Germany and abroad, including in the United States and Russia.

       Why do you think Merkel’s support numbers are dwindling? Is it because the people believe that her policy toward migrants is not tough enough, or, conversely, not humane enough?

       Time goes by, and the people don’t see any improvements. What they see is the opposite. Take, for example, that night in Cologne which shocked Germany.

       People can see clearly now. No one knows how many refugees there are in Germany. Is it 1.5 or closer to 2 million? That’s a lot! Most of them will never integrate, especially young people, who will not learn German and will remain unemployed. What are we to do with them? All this creates tensions in society, which can be felt in the urban and rural areas.

       I have already mentioned that Merkel is losing her grip. To prove this point, I will cite some of her recent statements, which came as a surprise to many people. Rather than urge refugees to integrate, to quickly learn German, accept Western values, integrate into German life and become full-fledged members of society, she is now suddenly saying that they will have to go back to their respective homes in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

       Merkel has made a dramatic about-face, because she is forced to save her political reputation. Or her seat in office. She realizes that there’s no other choice at this point.

       What do you think the majority of Germans are mostly concerned with: problems with migrants, or the growing influence of the right-wing extremist parties?

       That’s a good question. Half of Germans believe that the Islamization of Germany and the inflow of migrants from the Arab world – and the ensuing increase in crime rates and the belief that the state won’t be able to cope with the task of integrating them – represents the most daunting challenge for them.

       The other half is concerned with the potential rise of rightist forces. And they are also radicalizing – not against immigrants but against right-wing movements, such as AfD. Just like the right-wing radicals are throwing Molotov cocktails at the refugee shelters, the extreme left-wingers from the anti-fascist movement, which has always been part of the underground scene in Germany, are starting a war against the AfD.

       Views expressed are of individual Members and Contributors, rather than the Club's, unless explicitly stated otherwise.