For the past few years, the trend has not been friendly to Europe's socialists. Across the continent, right-wing parties have gained influence and some now share power, after winning support on promises to create jobs with liberal economics and talking tough on issues like crime and immigration.

Now, the political landscape could be shifting again. Just as quickly as Europe tipped right of center, recent events suggest the pendulum is slowly starting to swing in the opposite direction.

"It is too soon to say that this is a new trend, but the trend towards right-wing populism in Europe definitely has been broken," says Hajo Funke, professor of politics and culture at Berlin's Free University.

The first signs of trouble on the right emerged last week in Austria, when the ruling coalition that included right-wing populist Jörg Haider's Freedom Party collapsed. Then, on Monday, Sweden's Social Democrats scored an unexpected victory, beating the predictions of the pollsters by remaining in power.

In Germany, the largest member of the European Union, left-of-center chancellor Gerhard Schröder's decisive "nein" to Washington's campaign to oust Saddam Hussein with military force is striking a chord with war-wary German voters. Combined with public recognition of his deft handling of this summer's floods in eastern Germany, Mr. Schröder's categorical rejection of a war with Iraq has helped turn the tide on a floundering reelection bid against conservative challenger Edmund Stoiber.

Though he may have angered Washington, and though some observers say his hard-edge stance is simply to get votes, Schröder now stands an even chance of getting re-elected when Germans go to the polls on Sunday.

In isolation, developments in each of these countries could be seen as separate events responding to specific local issues. But analysts see broader significance in the turn away from the right: Many Europeans appear to be concerned about sacrificing too much of the social welfare state, and they are also eager for European leaders to take a more skeptical view of American foreign policy.

Says Mr. Funke of the Free University: "In Sweden people ... oriented themselves towards the Social Democrats because they promised to uphold the social welfare state."

In Germany, Mr. Schröder's insistence that the country must follow a "German way" in opposing the US regarding Iraq resonated with growing concern in Europe over what is seen here as a unilateral American foreign policy. Thus, Schröder's refusal to toe the line worked in gaining votes, while the traditional transatlantic loyalty voiced by his conservative rival did not go over well with voters.

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