Institutionationalizing Populist Ambiguity of the Radical Right: Giorgia Meloni and Brothers of Italy in the International Arena

Abstract This paper examines the extent to which foreign policy, particularly EU-related issues, is present and relevant in the political communication of Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy – FdI), its evolution over time, and its contribution to the party’s institutionalization. It pays particular attention to the views of its leader, Giorgia Meloni, on Europe. It primarily focuses on the period leading up to and following the successful 2022 elections, as well as the 2024 European elections. The paper first reviews the implications of FdI’s rapid electoral growth since its foundation in 2012 and its trajectory of institutionalization. It analyzes its shift from being a strongly anti-system party to a more nuanced ideological stance while retaining a distinctive right-populist but Atlanticist alignment in the international arena. It discusses the intentional ambiguities and chameleonic features that define and often enable populist parties to operate in different political arenas. To determine the nature of FdI’s populism, the paper also examines its references to historical Fascism. Methodologically, the paper combines qualitative and quantitative text analysis approaches to identify the changing frequency of references to the EU and the concepts associated with it in Meloni’s Facebook posts. It argues that the chameleonic features of populist formations can include the incorporation of key tenets of a liberal agenda, allowing them to pursue alliances with different party families without renouncing key aspects of a right-populist ideology and style.