How can democracies preserve their strategic agency while upholding their normative foundations in an era of global systemic competition? Where does pragmatic cooperation remain viable, and where must firm ethical boundaries be drawn?
Building on the success of our last event with German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, our annual Helmut Schmidt Lecture returns to address one of the most defining challenges of our time.
We are honoured to welcome Ivan Krastev as this year’s keynote speaker for an evening that also celebrates the launch of the sixth issue of the BKHS Magazine. Under the theme “Navigating Power and Principles!” both the lecture event and the publication will explore how Europe and open societies can position themselves in a volatile world – translating democratic values into strategic capability without surrendering their core principles.
Ivan Krastev is a prominent political scientist and author widely recognised for his analysis of European politics, democracy, and global affairs. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Board for Liberal Strategies in Sofia, Bulgaria, and is a permanent fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) in Vienna. A leading commentator on the changing landscape of liberal democracy and the rise of illiberal and authoritarian politics, Krastev regularly contributes to international debates on European and geopolitical affairs. His work examines the challenges facing contemporary democracies, with a particular focus on Europe, political trust, the transformation of the liberal order, and the changing transatlantic and global environment.
Monday, 16 November, 7 pm
Museum für Kommunikation Berlin
Leipziger Straße 16
10117 Berlin
Programme
After welcoming remarks by Peer Steinbrück, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the BKHS, Ivan Krastev will examine why anxieties about demographic decline and political “disappearance” have become so central to contemporary politics – and what they mean for cooperation within, among and beyond democracies.
In the ensuing conversation, Ivan Krastev, Chairman of the Centre for Liberal Strategies in Sofia and permanent fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna, will be joined by political scientist Dr Tim Heinkelmann-Wild of LMU Munich and other policy experts to discuss democratic resilience from different vantage points.
The sixth issue of the BKHS Magazine, launched during the evening, will offer additional insights into these questions through contributions from politics, business, civil society and academia – including German business executive and adviser Janina Kugel and David Miliband, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee and former UK Foreign Secretary.
At the closing reception, we look forward to continuing the conversation with you, while our exhibition “Helmut Schmidt International – Germany, Europe and the World” invites you to reflect on the conditions for safeguarding freedom, democracy and the rule of law.
