Arab Changes in a Changing World

Ellen Laipson
Distinguished Fellow and President Emeritus of Stimson

During his campaign and even more since Donald Trump’s entry to the White House the international community wonders how the new US president will reshape US foreign policy – especially in the Middle East and North Africa where Trump promised to radically change the course of his predecessor. In February, he announced a “big deal” for the Middle East. What could it be?
This talk is the third in a series of four which examine scenarios for interaction with the Middle East and North Africa in the light of external changes: a radically new US administration; Russia’s increasingly proactive role in the Middle East; UK’s exit from the European Union; the EU’s new Global Strategy.

Moderation: Gudrun Harrer, Senior Editor, Der Standard; Lecturer on Modern History and Politics of the Middle East, University of Vienna and Diplomatic Academy of Vienna

The last date will be:
April 27, UK’s Middle East Policies after Brexit, Lina Khatib, London

Jeffrey Sachs
University Professor at Columbia University, and Special Advisor to UN Secretary General António Guterres on the Sustainable Development Goals; Distinguished Fellow at the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Laxenburg, Austria.

Jeffrey Sachs is widely considered to be one of the world’s leading experts on economic development, global macroeconomics, and the fight against poverty. His work on ending poverty, over¬coming macroeconomic instability, promoting economic growth, fighting hunger and disease, and promoting sustainable environmental practices, has taken him to more than 125 countries with more than 90 percent of the world’s population.
For over thirty years, Professor Sachs has advised dozens of heads of state and governments on economic strategy, in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
Time Magazine has twice named Professor Sachs among its 100 most influential world leaders. The New York Times has said he is “probably the most important economist in the world.” The Economist Magazine has ranked Professor Sachs among the world’s three most influential living economists of the past decade.

Moderation: Robert Misik, Author

Für eine offene Gesellschaft

Harald Welzer
Soziologe, Denker, origineller Intellektueller, ist Direktor des Thinktanks FUTURZWEI, ist einer der bedeutendsten sozialliberalen Autoren der Gegenwart. Bekannt wurde er mit Büchern wie „Selber denken. Eine Anleitung zum Widerstand“. Nach Pegida und AfD-Aufstieg gründete er das Netzwerk „Initiative Offene Gesellschaft“. Sein Buch „Wir sind die Mehrheit. Für eine offene Gesellschaft“ ist ein Manifest des Selbstbewusstseins der pluralistischen Demokratie.

Demokratie heißt heute nicht mehr, dass auf Basis einer offenen Gesellschaft unterschiedliche Parteien konkurrieren, sondern dass die Verteidiger und die Feinde der offenen Gesellschaft miteinander in einem erbitterten Wettstreit liegen. Spätestens mit Trump, dem Brexit-Schock, mit Orban und der autoritären Regierung in Polen ist klar: wir Bürger und Bürgerinnen können die Verteidigung der liberalen Demokratie nicht den Politikern überlassen.
Mehr noch: Die Offene Gesellschaft wird angegriffen und die Politik reagiert katastrophal falsch. Statt die demokratische Mehrheit zu stützen, lässt sie sich die Themen von Neurechten und Populisten diktieren. Aber Demokratie und Freiheit gibt es nur dann, wenn genug Menschen für sie eintreten.

Moderation: Robert Misik, Autor

Arab Changes in a Changing World

Lina Khatib
Head of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Programme at Chatham House

The United Kingdom has been a key player in the Middle East and North Africa for much more than a hundred years. Brexit will fundamentally reshape British foreign policy – what does this mean for its policies in the MENA region? Will it go increasingly alone, become more isolationist or act as a strategic bridge between Europe and the US?
This talk is the last in a series of four which examine scenarios for interaction with the Middle East and North Africa in the light of external changes: a radically new US administration; Russia’s increasingly proactive role in the Middle East; UK’s exit from the European Union; the EU’s new Global Strategy.

Moderation: Gudrun Harrer, Senior Editor, Der Standard; Lecturer on Modern History and Politics of the Middle East, University of Vienna and Diplomatic Academy of Vienna