The rhetoric of inaction: failing to fail forward in the EU’s rule of law crisis

In the EU, political crises often serve as catalysts for policymaking and ‘failing forward’. Yet a breakdown of rule law has swept some member states, EU institutions have repeatedly failed to react. We argue that this outcome is partly tied how elites strategically mobilize rhetoric legitimate stasis during crises. Building on theories rhetorical action discursive institutionalism, we rectify their bias change draw Albert Hirschman’s work theorize ‘rhetorics inaction’: A coordinative discourse wielded by national supranational actors reconcile divergent preferences justify appealing very policies values threatened crisis. specify conditions under which rhetorics inaction are most likely pervade illustrate theory’s explanatory purchase in case study EU’s (non-)responses constitutional breakdowns Hungary Poland. By tracing interactions between government policymakers, demonstrate populist partisan affronts conceal far more sophisticated obstructive argumentative strategies behind-the-scenes. conclude politics central understanding failure respond elaborate avenues future research.