Our Horizon Europe AUTHLIB project (“Neo-authoritarianisms in Europe and the liberal democratic response”) officially kicked off in October with the public event “Illiberal Challenges, Neo-Authoritarian Challengers: Threats to Liberal Democracy in Europe”.

The event started off with a keynote lecture from Professor Michael Ignatieff who discussed the meaning of democracy, and why we tend to think of it as a sacred set of values that should be protected from any existential threats.

The ensuing panel discussion explored the dynamics of present-day threats to liberal democracy. It considered the plethora of elite ideas and public attitudes offered as alternatives by illiberal and neo-authoritarian challengers and reflected on their consequences. Finally, it sought to identify entry points for effectively strengthening democratic resilience, with renowned experts of the field, Thomas Carothers (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace), Staffan I. Lindberg (V-Dem, University of Gothenburg), Mieke Verloo (Radboud University), and Marlene Wind (University of Copenhagen).

Follow AUTHLIB’s YouTube channel for further updates.