Europe’s political landscape is undergoing profound and drastic changes. Especially in Eastern and Central Europe support for populist parties has steadily increased and they have entered many national parliaments.

In conversation with Tim Judah, British journalist and Balkans correspondent for the Economist, Piotr Buras, Head of the European Council on Foreign Relations’ Warsaw Office, will discuss the origins and consequences of this new wave of authoritarianism and what needs to be done to save liberal democracy before it is too late. Both speakers are currently Visiting Fellows of IWM’s Europe’s Futures project. Watch the full debate:

Cover picture: In summer of 2018 thousands rally in Romania’s capital Bucharest for protests against corruption in the ruling social democratic (PSD) government. Photo: © Mihai Surdu / unsplash.com

Vienna Humanities Festival

The Vienna Humanities Festival, organised by the IWM, Wien Museum and Time to Talk, is a series of around 40 Events (in German and English) which took place from 27 till 30 September 2018 for the third time at the Wien Museum, TU Wien, Evangelische Volksschule and Stadtkino.

The topic of 2018 “Power and Powerlessness” focused on the vulnerability of democracies in Europe in light of historical events embedding them in the context of contemporary socio-political developments.