Panel Discussion

Quo vadis USA? Democracy and Authoritarianism

13.07.2026 | 18 Uhr

On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, our Distinguished Fellows

will engage in a discussion with

Rahel Jaeggi (HU Berlin) and
Sven Reichardt (Konstanz)

on how to assess the current trajectory of American democracy from the perspectives of political science, social philosophy, and history. At the core are the theoretical frameworks of competitive authoritarianism, through which Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way have, in recent years, analyzed the dynamics of democratic–authoritarian societies in Latin America, Eastern Europe, and the United States; Sven Reichardt’s research approach to post-fascism; and Rahel Jaeggi’s analyses of authoritarian movements from the perspective of Critical Theory.

Moderation: Stephanie Rohde

Opening: Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Susanne Zank

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