Mabel Berezin

Professor of Sociology at Cornell University

Mabel Berezin is professor of sociology at Cornell University and author of “Illiberal Politics in Neoliberal Times: Cultures, Security, and Populism in a New Europe” and “Europe Without Borders.” Berezin says Marine Le Pen – who lost the race for the French presidency yesterday – has established the Front National as France’s opposition party, pitting French against each other.

Berezin says:

“Marine Le Pen lost the French Presidential election that she was not expected to win. But make no mistake about it: Le Pen is not departing the political scene.

“In her polite concession speech, she threw down the gauntlet and said that the National Front would be the party of opposition – not a bad point as none of the traditional parties had made it into the second round run off. Her attack against ‘savage globalization’ has now been refined into plan of action that pits the ‘patriots against the globalists.’

“Such populist worldview is here to stay unless European leaders take on its major issues – austerity, migration and security.”