SUMMER SEMINAR

Liberal democracy in the Asian century

 Vama Veche, 22 – 27 July 2013

organized by the Luxembourg Institute for European and International Studies, the Black Sea University Foundation and the European Cultural Centre, Bucharest

The aim of the seminar is to examine whether the dominating political paradigm in large parts of the world since World War II will remain attractive or even gain in importance. Is it bound to decline and perhaps fade away with the rise of regions and countries that may choose a different path of political and economic development? What will a surge of religious fundamentalism, nationalism, new cultural confrontations, and the contest for ever scarcer natural resources mean for the prospects of liberal society?

MAIN TOPICS

• Is democracy a Western idea? From Aristotle’s Politics to Kant’s Perpetual Peace
• Democracy and liberal internationalism/democratisation: from Woodrow Wilson to G.W. Bush
• Democracy and the “end of history”: democracy and Eastern Europe post-1989
• Why was Russia “lost” (and “who lost it”)?
• Democracy in crisis post-2008: the rise of nationalism. Fascism and political extremism
• The Arab Spring: is Islam compatible with democracy?
• The Asian century (1): Illiberal democracies
• The Asian century (2): China and the authoritarian/”meritocratic” model

• Can Asia re-invent democracy: India and China?

Prof. em. G. MICHAEL AMBROSI

Jean Monnet Professor ad personam, University of Trier, Germany

Prof. DANIEL BARBU

Minister of Culture of Romania

Dr. ARMAND CLESSE

Director, Luxembourg Institute for European and International Studies

Prof. CHRISTOPHER COKER

Professor of International Relations, London School of Economics and Political Science

Prof. MIRCEA MALITZA

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