How Can Europe Defend its Values?
Joint event by the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), in cooperation with the International Forum for Democratic Studies and the Prague Civil Society Centre.
Almost three decades after the end of the Cold War, the international context is marked by a worldwide resurgence of authoritarian regimes. The rollback of democratic norms is driven mainly by China, Iran, Russia, and Saudi Arabia. Using propaganda, disinformation, and other “soft power” tools, the authoritarian states threaten to undermine important advances in democracy, pluralism, and transparency made since the early 1990s. Authoritarian regimes are increasingly cooperating and learning from each other. What are the reasons for this authoritarian rollback? How do authoritarian regimes undermine democracy and the role of civil society? Why do democratic countries seem unprepared for this challenge? How should they respond? Christopher Walker and Marc F. Plattner of the International Forum for Democratic Studies at the National Endowment for Democracy will start the discussion by sharing the key points from Authoritarianism Goes Global.
Speaker:
Thomas Bagger
Head, Planning Staff, German Foreign Office
Golineh Atai
Moscow Bureau, First German Television (ARD)
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Merkel
Director, Department Democracy and Democratization, Berlin Social Science Centre (WZB)
Barbara von Ow-Freytag
Prague Civil Society Centre
Chair:
Dr. Sylke Tempel
Editor in Chief of Internationale Politik and of the Berlin Policy Journal
This event is organized by the Robert Bosch Center for Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia and will be held in English.
