Past Events

	Title	Date	Type	Speakers
	Illiberal Democracy: Contradiction, Ideology or Characteristic of our Age?	Mon, 30.09.2019, 10:00	Panels and Discussions	Grigorij Mesežnikov Leszek Jazdzewski Luke Cooper Niccolo Milanese Péter KrekóKaterina Kolozova	Illiberal Democracy: Contradiction, Ideology or Characteristic of our Age? Mon, 30.09.2019, 10:00 Speakers: Grigorij Mesežnikov Leszek Jazdzewski Luke Cooper Niccolo Milanese Péter KrekóKaterina Kolozova Series: Panels and Discussions Since Viktor Orbán used the term in 2014 to propose a new model for Europe, debates have raged over whether ‘illiberal democracy’ is a coherent concept at all, what distinguishes it from liberal democracy, and what its relationships are with terms such as populism, authoritarianism, state capture, nationalism and majoritarianism. Whilst academic circles have been trying to make sense of the idea, the term itself has shown political effectiveness, and informal alliances of illiberal leaders have appeared at the European elections, in summits on family policy, in international decision-making bodies and elsewhere. This seminar looked at phenomena of illiberal democracy from Macedonia, Hungary, Italy, the UK, Slovakia, Poland and considered what should be done to counter this discourse, by political institutions, by academics and by other political actors and activists. Read more
Illiberal Democracy: Contradiction, Ideology or Characteristic of our Age? Mon, 30.09.2019, 10:00 Speakers: Grigorij Mesežnikov Leszek Jazdzewski Luke Cooper Niccolo Milanese Péter KrekóKaterina Kolozova Series: Panels and Discussions Since Viktor Orbán used the term in 2014 to propose a new model for Europe, debates have raged over whether ‘illiberal democracy’ is a coherent concept at all, what distinguishes it from liberal democracy, and what its relationships are with terms such as populism, authoritarianism, state capture, nationalism and majoritarianism. Whilst academic circles have been trying to make sense of the idea, the term itself has shown political effectiveness, and informal alliances of illiberal leaders have appeared at the European elections, in summits on family policy, in international decision-making bodies and elsewhere. This seminar looked at phenomena of illiberal democracy from Macedonia, Hungary, Italy, the UK, Slovakia, Poland and considered what should be done to counter this discourse, by political institutions, by academics and by other political actors and activists. Read more
	Trojanow trifft: Gibt es eine neue linke Erzählung?	Sun, 29.09.2019, 11:00	Panels and Discussions	Ilija TrojanowJulia Fritzsche	Trojanow trifft: Gibt es eine neue linke Erzählung? Sonntagsgespräche in der Roten Bar Sun, 29.09.2019, 11:00 Speakers: Ilija TrojanowJulia Fritzsche Series: Panels and Discussions Kaum etwas ist momentan so wichtig, wie die Frage nach neuen Visionen und Utopien im Sinne einer würdigen, lebenswerten Zukunft. Wie entkommen wir den gegenwärtig so dominanten apokalyptischen Erwartungen, der Renaissance von Hass, Gewalt und Ungerechtigkeit? Wie gestalten wir eine progressive, emanzipatorische Politik ohne ständig auf die Provokationen der Neurechten zu reagieren? Julia Fritzsche hat diesbezüglich eine Vielzahl an Stimmen und Ideen gesammelt, neue Ansätze für einen feministischen, ökologischen und sozialen Aufbruch. Im Mittelpunkt steht stets die Frage: Wie können wir gemeinsam für ein besseres Leben für alle streiten? Die Autorin des jüngst erschienenen Buches Tiefrot und radikal bunt war Gast bei Trojanow trifft. Mit einem Prolog aus Wer hat meinen Vater umgebracht von Édouard Louis mit Sebastian Pass. Read more
Trojanow trifft: Gibt es eine neue linke Erzählung? Sonntagsgespräche in der Roten Bar Sun, 29.09.2019, 11:00 Speakers: Ilija TrojanowJulia Fritzsche Series: Panels and Discussions Kaum etwas ist momentan so wichtig, wie die Frage nach neuen Visionen und Utopien im Sinne einer würdigen, lebenswerten Zukunft. Wie entkommen wir den gegenwärtig so dominanten apokalyptischen Erwartungen, der Renaissance von Hass, Gewalt und Ungerechtigkeit? Wie gestalten wir eine progressive, emanzipatorische Politik ohne ständig auf die Provokationen der Neurechten zu reagieren? Julia Fritzsche hat diesbezüglich eine Vielzahl an Stimmen und Ideen gesammelt, neue Ansätze für einen feministischen, ökologischen und sozialen Aufbruch. Im Mittelpunkt steht stets die Frage: Wie können wir gemeinsam für ein besseres Leben für alle streiten? Die Autorin des jüngst erschienenen Buches Tiefrot und radikal bunt war Gast bei Trojanow trifft. Mit einem Prolog aus Wer hat meinen Vater umgebracht von Édouard Louis mit Sebastian Pass. Read more
	Vienna Humanities Festival	Sat, 28.09.2019, 12:00 - Sun, 29.09.2019, 17:00	Festivals		Vienna Humanities Festival Unheil und Hoffnung \| Hope and Despair Sat, 28.09.2019, 12:00 - Sun, 29.09.2019, 17:00 Speakers: Series: Festivals The theme of the fourth Vienna Humanities Festival was "Hope and Despair." Focal points included the year 1989 and its consequences, scientific innovation, and the future of society. Read more

	Europe’s Futures Colloquium III	Mon, 23.09.2019, 16:00	Seminars and Colloquia	Isabelle Ioannides Nicole Koenig	Europe’s Futures Colloquium III Mon, 23.09.2019, 16:00 Speakers: Isabelle Ioannides Nicole Koenig Series: Seminars and Colloquia Ten years ago, the Lisbon Treaty promised a stronger, more coherent and more effective EU foreign and security policy. This anniversary comes at a time when the Union is confronted with rising internal and external obstacles as well as expectations. The EU’s neighbourhood is characterised by conflict and instability. The rules-based international order is heavily contested and the transatlantic relationship is under constant pressure. The EU is facing internal contestation as illustrated by Brexit as well as more populist and nationalist foreign policies. Meanwhile, its citizens are calling for a ‘Europe that protects’ and are clearly in favour of closer foreign and defence cooperation. In parallel, external expectations on the EU to counteract the erosion of multilateralism are rising. Although the EU promises more strategic sovereignty and autonomy, it has too often failed to speak with one voice and influence international developments. The new institutional cycle offers an opportunity for a fresh start for EU foreign and security policy. Using it will imply addressing some key questions: How can the member states attain a more common understanding of the practical implications of EU strategic sovereignty? How can the EU live up to the promise of Lisbon and bridge the divide between the supranational and intergovernmental spheres of its external action? How can it bundle resources and instruments to effectively influence a select number of joint priorities? Read more
Europe’s Futures Colloquium III Mon, 23.09.2019, 16:00 Speakers: Isabelle Ioannides Nicole Koenig Series: Seminars and Colloquia Ten years ago, the Lisbon Treaty promised a stronger, more coherent and more effective EU foreign and security policy. This anniversary comes at a time when the Union is confronted with rising internal and external obstacles as well as expectations. The EU’s neighbourhood is characterised by conflict and instability. The rules-based international order is heavily contested and the transatlantic relationship is under constant pressure. The EU is facing internal contestation as illustrated by Brexit as well as more populist and nationalist foreign policies. Meanwhile, its citizens are calling for a ‘Europe that protects’ and are clearly in favour of closer foreign and defence cooperation. In parallel, external expectations on the EU to counteract the erosion of multilateralism are rising. Although the EU promises more strategic sovereignty and autonomy, it has too often failed to speak with one voice and influence international developments. The new institutional cycle offers an opportunity for a fresh start for EU foreign and security policy. Using it will imply addressing some key questions: How can the member states attain a more common understanding of the practical implications of EU strategic sovereignty? How can the EU live up to the promise of Lisbon and bridge the divide between the supranational and intergovernmental spheres of its external action? How can it bundle resources and instruments to effectively influence a select number of joint priorities? Read more
	American Diplomacy in a Disordered World	Thu, 19.09.2019, 18:00	Panels and Discussions	Ivan KrastevWilliam Burns	American Diplomacy in a Disordered World Thu, 19.09.2019, 18:00 Speakers: Ivan KrastevWilliam Burns Series: Panels and Discussions In the fifth event of the series “Geopolitical Talks” IWM Permanent Fellow Ivan Krastev talked with Ambassador William J. Burns, president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, about America’s changing role in the world and the purpose of American diplomacy. Read more
American Diplomacy in a Disordered World Thu, 19.09.2019, 18:00 Speakers: Ivan KrastevWilliam Burns Series: Panels and Discussions In the fifth event of the series “Geopolitical Talks” IWM Permanent Fellow Ivan Krastev talked with Ambassador William J. Burns, president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, about America’s changing role in the world and the purpose of American diplomacy. Read more
	Europe’s Futures Colloquium II	Mon, 16.09.2019, 16:00	Seminars and Colloquia	Alida Vracic Péter Krekó	Europe’s Futures Colloquium II Mon, 16.09.2019, 16:00 Speakers: Alida Vracic Péter Krekó Series: Seminars and Colloquia How can record highs in the emigration of qualified people from the Western Balkans be beneficial for the region and its prosperity and future growth? Tapping into 6 million strong diaspora may offer some answers. Engaging with diaspora is critical not only to help consolidate the regional economic outlook, bring the latest cutting- edge technologies into the region and deepen know-how, but, even more importantly it can profoundly challenge current political narratives and help bring about much- needed energy and change. Questions like “What are the experiences of the emigrants?” “Under which conditions would they consider returning to the region?” and, ultimately, “What policies could bring a meaningful change in the medium term?” are just some to address. Read more
Europe’s Futures Colloquium II Mon, 16.09.2019, 16:00 Speakers: Alida Vracic Péter Krekó Series: Seminars and Colloquia How can record highs in the emigration of qualified people from the Western Balkans be beneficial for the region and its prosperity and future growth? Tapping into 6 million strong diaspora may offer some answers. Engaging with diaspora is critical not only to help consolidate the regional economic outlook, bring the latest cutting- edge technologies into the region and deepen know-how, but, even more importantly it can profoundly challenge current political narratives and help bring about much- needed energy and change. Questions like “What are the experiences of the emigrants?” “Under which conditions would they consider returning to the region?” and, ultimately, “What policies could bring a meaningful change in the medium term?” are just some to address. Read more
	Europe’s Futures Colloquium I	Mon, 09.09.2019, 16:00	Seminars and Colloquia	Grigorij Mesežnikov Niccolo Milanese	Europe’s Futures Colloquium I Mon, 09.09.2019, 16:00 Speakers: Grigorij Mesežnikov Niccolo Milanese Series: Seminars and Colloquia The working hypothesis of the project is a consideration that no less important factor of the growth of right-wing radicalism in Slovakia is – besides ethno-politics and social deprivation – a illiberal regression in the execution of power by mainstream political forces: tyranny of the majority, efforts to limit the fair electoral competition, marginalization of the opposition (especially of liberal-democratic orientation), selective justice, attacks on independent media and civil society, state capture, nourishing the illiberal public discourse on democracy, freedom, human rights, universal values, migration, the future of the EU, etc. Read more
Europe’s Futures Colloquium I Mon, 09.09.2019, 16:00 Speakers: Grigorij Mesežnikov Niccolo Milanese Series: Seminars and Colloquia The working hypothesis of the project is a consideration that no less important factor of the growth of right-wing radicalism in Slovakia is – besides ethno-politics and social deprivation – a illiberal regression in the execution of power by mainstream political forces: tyranny of the majority, efforts to limit the fair electoral competition, marginalization of the opposition (especially of liberal-democratic orientation), selective justice, attacks on independent media and civil society, state capture, nourishing the illiberal public discourse on democracy, freedom, human rights, universal values, migration, the future of the EU, etc. Read more
	Democracy and Demography	Sat, 17.08.2019, 10:00 - Sat, 24.08.2019, 18:00	Conferences and Workshops		Democracy and Demography Summer School 2019 Sat, 17.08.2019, 10:00 - Sat, 24.08.2019, 18:00 Speakers: Series: Conferences and Workshops To exist in a democracy means to be counted, and ideally to feel as if what one does truly counts. At this summer school, we discussed how the demography of a polity is presumed to impact its form of government. Thus, the summer school addressed a few central questions: Read more
Democracy and Demography Summer School 2019 Sat, 17.08.2019, 10:00 - Sat, 24.08.2019, 18:00 Speakers: Series: Conferences and Workshops To exist in a democracy means to be counted, and ideally to feel as if what one does truly counts. At this summer school, we discussed how the demography of a polity is presumed to impact its form of government. Thus, the summer school addressed a few central questions: Read more
	The Challenge of Technocracy	Thu, 27.06.2019, 18:00	Panels and Discussions	Ivan Vejvoda Stefan AuerHans Kundnani , Nicole Scicluna	The Challenge of Technocracy Thu, 27.06.2019, 18:00 Speakers: Ivan Vejvoda Stefan AuerHans Kundnani , Nicole Scicluna Series: Panels and Discussions The European Union (EU) is a rules-based order par excellence. Often seen as one of its great strengths, its reliance on rules as a functional equivalent of politics and political contestation is actually deeply problematic. The deficiencies of the EU’s rules-based and technocratic approach to governance have become much more apparent over the last ten years – the EU’s ‘crisis decade’. This panel focused on two trends that have emerged through the eurozone crisis. Firstly, the crisis has led to an increased reliance on non-majoritarian institutions, such as the ECB, at the expense of democratically accountable bodies. Secondly, the crisis has led to a new emphasis on coercive enforcement at the expense of the voluntary cooperation that previously characterised the EU as a community of law. Both of these trends diminish the quality of democracy at the EU-level as well as within its member states. The wider problem aimed to highlight is the EU’s tendency to resort to technocratic governance in the face of challenges that require political contestation. In the absence of opportunities for democratic politics, EU emergency governance oscillates between moments of heightened politicisation, in which ad hoc decisions are justified as necessary, and the (sometimes coercive) appeal to the depoliticised rule of rules. Read more
The Challenge of Technocracy Thu, 27.06.2019, 18:00 Speakers: Ivan Vejvoda Stefan AuerHans Kundnani , Nicole Scicluna Series: Panels and Discussions The European Union (EU) is a rules-based order par excellence. Often seen as one of its great strengths, its reliance on rules as a functional equivalent of politics and political contestation is actually deeply problematic. The deficiencies of the EU’s rules-based and technocratic approach to governance have become much more apparent over the last ten years – the EU’s ‘crisis decade’. This panel focused on two trends that have emerged through the eurozone crisis. Firstly, the crisis has led to an increased reliance on non-majoritarian institutions, such as the ECB, at the expense of democratically accountable bodies. Secondly, the crisis has led to a new emphasis on coercive enforcement at the expense of the voluntary cooperation that previously characterised the EU as a community of law. Both of these trends diminish the quality of democracy at the EU-level as well as within its member states. The wider problem aimed to highlight is the EU’s tendency to resort to technocratic governance in the face of challenges that require political contestation. In the absence of opportunities for democratic politics, EU emergency governance oscillates between moments of heightened politicisation, in which ad hoc decisions are justified as necessary, and the (sometimes coercive) appeal to the depoliticised rule of rules. Read more
	Which Future for Democracy in a Post-political Age	Thu, 20.06.2019, 18:30	Panels and Discussions	Chantal Mouffe Pavel Barsa	Which Future for Democracy in a Post-political Age Patočka Debate 2019 Thu, 20.06.2019, 18:30 Speakers: Chantal Mouffe Pavel Barsa Series: Panels and Discussions The lecture analyzed the current conjuncture in Western liberal democracies and the reasons for the increasing success of right-wing populist movements. It elaborated the thesis that the only way to fight against those movements is to develop left populist alternatives. Specifically, it shall be argued that it is a lack of understanding for the dynamics of politics and the role of affects in the formation of collective identities that explains the failure of social democratic parties in offering an appropriate answer to the right-wing populist challenge. Read more
Which Future for Democracy in a Post-political Age Patočka Debate 2019 Thu, 20.06.2019, 18:30 Speakers: Chantal Mouffe Pavel Barsa Series: Panels and Discussions The lecture analyzed the current conjuncture in Western liberal democracies and the reasons for the increasing success of right-wing populist movements. It elaborated the thesis that the only way to fight against those movements is to develop left populist alternatives. Specifically, it shall be argued that it is a lack of understanding for the dynamics of politics and the role of affects in the formation of collective identities that explains the failure of social democratic parties in offering an appropriate answer to the right-wing populist challenge. Read more