The liberal democracies of the West are under pressure: in Germany, Europe and the USA. Unresolved problems such as climate, migration, war and security are shaking up societies. No one benefits from this more than the authoritarian populist parties. Should they be banned - is that allowed in a democracy? Or must democratic parties and governments finally solve the major problems in order to regain the trust of the population?

There is not only general talk of a crisis of democracy, but also academic books entitled "Life and Death of Democracy" or "How democracies die". How accurately do these books and discourses reflect the reality of constitutional democracies? Where do they overstate and where do they understate their existential hardships? A comparative look at Germany, Europe and the sultanization of US politics should enlighten us as to how fragile and resilient our democracies are proving to be in the post-democratic era.

Lecture and audience discussion:

• Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Merkel, democracy researcher and emeritus director of the "Democracy and Democratization" department at the Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin

When? 18:00 - 20:00 (followed by a discussion until approx. 21:00)

Where? Altes Kaufhaus, Rathausplatz 9, 76829 Landau in der Pfalz