New lines of conflict: European integration and immigration

Introduction “At the root of all politics is the universal language of confl ict” (Schattschneider, 1960, p. 2). Consequently, much research in political science focuses on confl icts. Different groups of citizens have different interests, values and ideologies and will therefore have different views on the most appropriate actions of governments, on policies that should be implemented and legislation that should be adopted. That political confl icts arise as a consequence of these differences in interests and worldviews is a logical and inevitable consequence of the freedom of speech and association. We therefore use the term “confl ict” in this chapter descriptively, and we do not take any normative view, implying that confl ict would be normatively bad and cooperation good.