We used to live in an open world, where interdependence was viewed as a source of peace and prosperity, progress was linear, economics dominated over geopolitics, and democracy and capitalism were considered two sides of the same coin. Since the turn of the century, Europe and the world have undergone successive stages of closure. The security crisis triggered by 9/11, the economic crisis during the years of the great recession, the crisis of democracy with its different manifestations, from Brexit to the election of Donald Trump, the pandemic crisis, and finally the crisis caused by wars in Europe and the Middle East. But this does not mean that Europe now lives in a closed world, but rather in one in which openness and closure coexist. Against this backdrop, Europe must learn to navigate these contradictions by protecting its security, economy and democracy, while remaining engaged with the wider world.
In this fireside chat, the author, Nathalie Tocci discussed with Ivan Krastev and Ivan Vejvoda her new book Navigating Contradictions: Europe in an Ambivalent World / Widersprüche hindurch: Europa in einer ambivalenten Welt, published by Mandelbaum Verlag (2024) in co-operation with the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM Vienna).
Nathalie Tocci is director of the Istituto Affari Internazionali, part-time professor at the School of Transnational Governance (European University Institute), Honorary Professor at the University of Tübingen and independent non-executive director of the multi utility company Acea. She has been Special Advisor to EU High Representatives Federica Mogherini and Josep Borrell. She was Pierre Keller Visiting Professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and, prior to joining Acea, she was independent board member first of Edison and then of Eni. She has held research positions at the Centre for European Policy Studies, Brussels, the Transatlantic Academy, Washington, and the European University Institute, Florence, and she has taught at the College of Europe, Bruges. Her recent major publications include the monographs A Green and Global Europe (Polity, 2022), Framing the EU’s Global Strategy (Palgrave McMillan, 2017), and The EU, Promoting Regional Integration, and Conflict Resolution (Palgrave McMillan, 2017, co-edited with Thomas Diez), as well as Turkey and the European Union (Red Globe Press, 2015, co-authored with Senem Aydin-Düzgit). She is a frequent media commentator and a columnist at Politico Europe, The Guardian and La Stampa. She was a Europe’s Futures Fellow of the IWM and ERSTE Foundation.
Ivan Krastev and Ivan Vejvoda, IWM Permanent Fellows, joined Nathalie Tocci in the discussion.
This event was by invitation only.
