A New Cold War? The Rise of Authoritarianism and the Future of Democracy

You can re-watch the entire event’s live-stream below:

Join the Martens Centre for this event co-organised with Foreign Policy, featuring a timely discussion on a vital topic for both sides of the Atlantic.

The world is less free than it was 15 years ago. Across the globe, illiberal regimes, hybrid-democracies, and autocratic dictatorships have steadily eroded away democratic institutions, human rights, and popular sovereignty – with the steepest declines found across Eurasia and the Middle East. This rise of authoritarian regimes poses not only a significant security challenge to Europe and its periphery, but also a threat to liberal democracies everywhere.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and emboldened governments in Turkey and Belarus, what can European democracies do to defend and strengthen democratic institutions and address security risks across the region? And how can alliances be fortified to address authoritarian trends manifesting elsewhere around the world?

Join us as we convene leaders, policymakers, and security experts, including Rep. Bill Keating, Michael Abramowitz, Timothy Garton Ash, Dr. Alina Polyakova, Tomi Huhtanen and Reena Ninan for timely discussions on how to address this growing threat to Europe’s regional security, the danger posed to liberalism worldwide, and what can be done to strengthen democracies around the world.