Neo-conservatism is fading in America as George Bush gets ready to leave office in January. Far-rightist ideology, which is also an enemy to the Islamic ideology, is actually facing many problems across the West including Europe. Following are excerpts from an interview with Janusz Bugajski conducted by Hormoz Baradaran, from the Persian-daily “Iran“. Bugajski is the director of the New European Democracies Project in the US Center for Strategic and International Studies.

BARADARAN: Berlusconi’s win in Italian election added a new member to the club of European right-leaning governments. The failure of Britain’s New Labour in recent elections and by-elections in Wales and England created new grounds for the comeback of Tories. What are the root causes of right-resurgence in Europe?
BUGAJSKI: European politics usually passes through pendulum swings between center-right and center-left following national elections. Sometimes the pendulum moves more slowly and there is rarely synchrony across the continent as every country has its own political rhythm and election cycles.
Hence, what looks like a pattern of center-right victories may be largely a coincidence.

What are their political, social and economic approaches for resolving European problems?
I do not expect major policy changes in countries such as Italy or Britain. In general center-right governments tend to be more nationalist or protective of national sovereignty. However, even though this would be true if the Conservatives came back to power in Britain and could prove more resistant to further EU integration, the French, Italian, and German center-right does not differ markedly from the center-left on EU questions.

Right-wing governments and parties declare anti-immigration and fighting what they call Islamic terrorism as their core policy. Don’t you think that this in contradiction with the principles of the freedom of speech, human rights and has strained European ties with Islamic, African and Middle Eastern nations?
Anti-immigrant sentiments in parts of Europe are growing and in some countries they are promoted by radical parties, although not always the rightist ones. They are based on fears of losing national identity, job competition, and cultural differences. Islamophobia is also a factor largely because of simplistic perceptions depicting Islam as a terrorist ideology.
Such sentiments play into the hands of radicals and terrorist leaders who can claim that European governments are anti-Islamic. Much needed is a better understanding of the real principles of Islam and its essentially tolerant, respectful, and inclusive nature.

Some analysts say the rightist comeback will benefit Germany in context of EU politics. Germany, at present, is the most powerful EU member and is eager to lead Brussels’ diplomacy and other issues. A wave of EU membership gives Germany an exceptional opportunity to rule EU politics without serious barriers. What are these new opportunities?
I do not think Germany is in a position to lead Brussels or the EU especially as with 27 members the EU is much more diverse. France and Britain would certainly not allow Germany to play a dominant role and most of the new EU members are suspicious about Berlin’s close relations with a neo-imperialist Russia. In addition, Germany’s coalition government is very divided particularly as the Social Democrats control the foreign ministry while the Christian Democrats control the chancellorship.

While it seems that conservative and neo-conservative ideology is losing strength in the US, these approaches are gaining ground in Europe. Does this change effect transatlantic relations or top the balance of power?
Neo-conservatism as a foreign policy has certainly lost strength in the US But social conservatism and traditional conservatism remain potent forces in American politics. In Europe, conservatism is extremely varied and based on diverse national traditions. The major change in trans-Atlantic relations will be generated by the approach of the new US president who needs to rebuild a more productive alliance, closely consult with the Europeans, and restrict US unilateralism.
As with the center-left some center-right parties in Europe are less Atlanticist than others, while others favor a stronger American leadership.

File photo shows US Air Force B-52H long-range strategic bombers, the primary nuclear roled-bomber in the USAF inventory, sitting on the tarmac in Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana.

Most European air force bases that house US nuclear bombs are failing to meet security requirements to protect the weapons, according to an internal US Air Force investigation.
The air bases often fall short of US Defense Department (DOD) standards, with fencing, lighting and buildings in need of repair and security guards lacking sufficient training and experience, said the document, obtained by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS).
According to AFP, the 30-member air force team looking at the safety of nuclear weapons said that “inconsistencies in personnel, facilities, and equipment provided to the security mission by the host nation were evident as the team traveled from site to site“ in Europe.
“A consistently noted theme throughout the visits was that most sites require significant additional resources to meet DOD security requirements,“ said the report, titled “Air Force Blue Ribbon Review of Nuclear Weapons Policies and Procedures.“
As a result of the security concerns, the United States may decide to consolidate the nuclear weapons at fewer bases in Europe, according to Hans Kristensen, who posted the results of the investigation on his blog on the FAS website.
Consolidating the storage of the weapons would “minimize variances and reduce vulnerabilities at overseas locations,“ said the report.
A summary of the same report released in February had exposed a major nuclear safety breach in which a B-52 bomber was allowed to carry six live nuclear warheads across the United States last year without approval from military officers.
The revelation led to the resignations of the top military and civilian leaders at the US Air Force.

Underground Vaults
American Scientists’ website says that between 200 and 350 nuclear bombs are still stored in underground vaults under US guard at airbases in mentioned countries.
According to Deutsche Welle, it says the, Air Force investigation identified a number of areas where improvements were needed. These include security systems, support buildings and lighting.
It also says that most sites would need significant additional resources to meet the Pentagon’s standards.
The review also concludes that expertise with nuclear weapons in the Air Force has declined as airmen who were on duty during the Cold War leave the service. It also warns that the “nuclear enterprise“ in the force is fragmented and inspection programs need to be standardized.

Nightmare Scenario
According to “Time“, a Belgian Defense Ministry spokesman, Commander Olivier SŽverin, denied that security was lax at the Kleine Brogel Air Base in northeastern Belgium, where the FAS estimates the US keeps 20 bombs.
Locks on the B-61 thermonuclear gravity bomb--which is up to 10 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb--prevent it from being detonated if stolen, experts say. But its weapons-grade material could be removed and turned into a dirty bomb, or even a crude nuclear device.
To avoid such a nightmare scenario, the report recommended that American nuclear assets in Europe be “consolidated“ which analysts interpret as a recommendation to move the bombs to NATO bases under “US wings“ meaning American bases in Europe. But such a move would undermine a “burden-sharing“ agreement that has been at the heart of NATO military policy since its inception.