Democracy's prospects between
gradual decline and recovery
One day after Julian Nida-Rümelin's speech on 'democracy's prospects', a panel discussion hosted by Annette Riedel will take the philosopher's ideas as the starting point of its conversation and examine the question of whether, after viewing democracy as a given for decades, we may now be forced to accept its gradual decline with equal equanimity, or whether it may not only be a worthwhile effort to ensure its continued existence but in fact an effort that is likely to succeed. Should the answer to the latter turn out to be affirmative, the next question is: What can be done about the generally evident fatigue when it comes to the defence of this state system? Can the reasons for this be found in the obvious deficits democracy has racked up over the decades it was taken for granted that offer its enemies so much scope for attack?
The sociologist Naika Foroutan heads the German Center for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM) and objects to the assertion that migration is unhelpful when it comes to strengthening democracy. Thomas Fischer is a belligerent member of the legal profession and a vehement yet also idiosyncratic defender of the constitutional state he represents as a high-ranking judge at Germany's federal court. Ralf Fücks is the founder of the Center for Liberal Modernity in Berlin, which views itself as a think tank and discussion platform for the renewal of liberal democracy. The discussion panel will also include Julian Nida-Rümelin, whose speech on the previous day ushered in the focus on democracy.
