Elections Are the New Battleground of International Politics

British Prime Minister Theresa May’s decision in April 2017 to call a snap general election on 8 June 2017 has added another electoral contest to the busy political calendar of Europe. Already the direction of European politics depended on the outcome of the French presidential poll and the German election in the autumn of 2017.

Earlier in 2017 year the Dutch and Turkish governments entered into a bitter public feud as their electoral campaigns spilled over into each other’s territory. And 2016 was punctuated by the election victories of anti-establishment forces in the US and the UK.

All this points to a stark new reality: elections are now the key formative events, and national electorates the key actors, of world politics. International affairs have become electoralized. The implications are far-reaching. No complex international compromise is safe against the intense scrutiny of domestic public opinions. The interaction of multiple national (and even sub-national) electoral cycles is increasingly dictating outcomes on the international stage. And the importance of elections opens a back door for new strategies of influence from partners and disruption from foes.