Russia's war of aggression on Ukraine reveals numerous external and internal challenges facing liberal social orders. Thus, the war marks a turning point for the liberal script. Pressing questions arise at various levels: How should liberal states deal with internal and external authoritarianism? Is dialogue still possible? What is the role of diplomacy? How is the whole thing to be classified sociologically and historically? What are the political and economic consequences of sanctions against Russia for Western societies? Does this result in systemic competition? We will explore these questions in the panel discussion. The panel discussion aims to bring together experts from different disciplines and fields of application - from sociology, political science, and history - to discuss the multifaceted problems.

Programme

8 pm

Introduction to the event and introduction of the speakers by the moderator.

8:15 pm

Input lecture by Dr. Tobias Rupprecht (SCRIPTS/FU Berlin): "Putin and the West, from the collapse of the Soviet Union to the war against Ukraine."

8:25 pm
Input lecture by Prof. Dr. Katharina Bluhm (SCRIPTS/FU Berlin): "'Russia is not Europe'". Dynamics of a demarcation."

8:35 pm
Input talk by Prof. Dr. Alexander Libman (SCRIPTS/FU Berlin): "The liberal script and the new system competition? Sanctions, Economic Blocs and War in Ukraine."

8:45 pm

Moderated discussion of speakers with audience questions and comments.

9:30 p.m.

Three-minute closing statements by each speaker.

9:40pm

Closing remarks by the moderator

9:45 pm

End of the event

Speakers

Dr. Tobias Rupprecht is a postdoctoral researcher at the Free University of Berlin. At SCRIPTS he is head of the junior research group "Peripheral Liberalism". Tobias Rupprecht is a global historian with a special interest in the history of (state) socialism and (neo-)liberalism. His research focuses primarily on the encounters of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe with the Global South, as well as on economic reform debates in socialist countries. He taught both Russian and Latin American history in Denmark and the UK before joining SCRIPTS in 2020 to study economic and market debates in Eastern Europe and China in the late 20th century.

Prof. Dr. Katharina Bluhm heads the Institute for Eastern European Studies and is Professor of Sociology at Freie Universität Berlin. For SCRIPTS she is a Principal Investigator and conducts research in the Research Unit Borders.

Prof. Dr. Alexander Libman is Professor of Russian and East European Politics at the Institute for East European Studies at Freie Universität Berlin since October 2020. He is a Principal Investigator at SCRIPTS. Previously, he was Professor of Social Sciences and Eastern European Studies at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich (2016-2020), Associate at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (2014-2016), and Assistant Professor of International Political Economy at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management (2009-2014). He received his PhD from the Universität Mannheim in 2009.

Moderation: Fabian Hempel, who is a research assistant in the Knowledge Exchange Lab at SCRIPTS where he is responsible for the area of politics.

Attending the Event

• Tickets: The discussion will be part of Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften 2022, for which tickets are required. You can book tickets here (External Link).
• Registration: Ticket holders can attend without further registration.
• Language: German.
  
• Accessibility: The event will be held in the basement of the campus library which can be accessed through elevators.
• How to get there: The Campus Library is part of the main FU campus Silberlaube. The closest train station is Dahlem-Dorf (U3). The walk by foot from the station to the Library is 6 minutes (460 metre).