U.S. Helsinki Commission briefing warns antisemitism functions as a terminal conspiracy theory and barometer of democratic decline

At a briefing convened by the United States Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission), James Kirchick, a writer at large for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and former fellow at the Brookings Institution, told attendees that antisemitism should be read as a special kind of conspiracy thinking that often precedes democratic breakdown.

“Antisemitism is the most protean, adaptable, and insidious conspiracy theory the world has ever known,” Kirchick said, arguing that it “serves as a barometer of underlying decay in the societies in which it prospers.” He referenced the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Berlin declaration, saying the document warned that new forms of antisemitism pose a threat to democracy and…