Cordon sanitaire (politics)

Political term In politics, cordon sanitaire (French: [kɔʁdɔ̃ sanitɛːʁ]; lit. 'sanitary cordon') or Brandmauer (lit. 'firewall') is the refusal of one or more political parties to cooperate with certain other political parties. Often this is because the targeted party has strategies or an ideology perceived as unacceptable or extremist. The term cordon sanitaire has been applied to refusals to cooperate with parties which are considered populist, extremist left or extremist right. The cordon sanitaire can be seen as a social norm or social exclusion, and can result in self-censorship. Generally a cordon sanitaire is intended to uphold democratic norms and liberal democracy, promote stable governments, and prevent the normalization of extremist, hateful, and/or authoritarian ideology, though the political tactic has been criticized for being viewed undemocratic, ineffective, and for potentially causing more political polarization. In addition, a cordon sanitaire can cause gridlock and can bolster a populist party's "anti-establishment" and/or "outsider" narrative. Examples by country Australia The right-wing populist One Nation party came to prominence in the late 1990s after