Discussion

War is back in Europe - on 24 February 2022, Russia, autocratically led by Vladimir Putin, invaded democratic Ukraine. But the war of aggression also targets democracy as such. Does Putin, who despises the liberal West, have an ideology of his own on offer, a coherent counterpart to the liberal order? What are his plans for Russia and the world? And why do large sections of Russian society still seem to agree with Putin's policies?

Speakers

Gwendolyn Sasse is Scientific Director at the Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS), Einstein Professor of Comparative Study of Democracy and Authoritarianism at theInstitute of Social Sciences at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Prinicipal Investigator at the Cluster of Excellence SCRIPTS. As a political Scientist she has been researching for decades on Eastern Europe and Ukraine - in particular on post-socialist transformation processes. Her research includes post-communist transformation processes, and the dynamics of war, migration and protest movements.

Christoph D. Piorkowski is a journalist and author. He writes political feature articles, on society and political current affairs, among others for the Tagesspiegel and Deutschlandfunk. 2022 he was Visiting Journalist at the Cluster of Excellence Contestations of the Liberal Script (SCRIPTS).

About the visit at Humboldt Lab

• Free admission.

• Language: German

• Accessibility: The location is on the 1st floor, lifts are available. A tactile floor guidance system in connection with tactile floor plans makes it easier for blind and visually impaired people to find their way around. Wheelchairs, rollators, mobile seating and buggies are available for loan — please contact us.