An event as part of our focus on
In focus: FALSE PATRIOTS - THE OPEN SOCIETY AND ITS ENEMIES
An evening about the thinking, narratives and language of the right - and how they can be countered. With two of the smartest thinkers on the subject.
The historian Volker Weiß is one of the most profound experts on the thinking of the radical right, its theories, ideologies and narratives. With books such as „Die autoritäre Revolte“, „Deutsches Demokratisches Reich“ and, most recently, „Katechon“ (about the religious-apocalyptic motifs of Peter Thiel to Alexander Dugin), he shines a spotlight on the extreme right's goal of overcoming Western liberalism and imposing an alternative interpretation of history. In conversation with Gabriela Greilinger and Robert Misik, Weiß - the „expert on new right-wing theorising“ (taz) - will trace the new developments in right-wing thought and identify the most important currents and players. Gabriela Greilinger will analyse the ideological production and practice of the neo-reactionary and neo-conservative right from Hungary to the USA in the light of her research and investigations. Greilinger not only has Austro-Hungarian roots, i.e. two homelands, she also studied in Budapest and currently teaches and researches in the USA, Georgia. She is an expert on the thinking of the Orban circles, has made a name for herself with outstanding analyses of the strategies of the Hungarian democratic opposition and its recent election victory, and works on the topic of „from protest to power“ - i.e. the democratic erosion in Europe due to the advance of the ultra-right.
Volker Weiß, Dr phil. born in 1972, the historian worked for many years as a specialist author for DIE ZEIT and ZEIT Geschichte, Jungle World, Frankfurter Rundschau, FAZ, Taz, Spiegel-Online and today writes exclusively for SZ, He is one of the best experts on the new right-wing scene. His book "Die autoritäre Revolte. Die Neue Rechte und der Untergang des Abendlandes" is considered a standard work on the subject and was nominated for the 2017 Leipzig Book Fair Prize.
Gabriela Greilinger, political scientist, PhD student and current recipient of the prestigious Graduate School Doctoral Fellow Award at the University of Georgia; her research focuses on the far right, political behaviour and the erosion of democracy in Europe; numerous publications in international media (The Guardian, Social Europe, Talking Points Memo)
Moderation
Robert Misik, Author and journalist
In the interaction among regional powers, China's participation has been steadily increasing, encompassing political, economic, and investment dimensions. Amidst shifting global dynamics, the European Union is increasingly pursuing strategic autonomy alongside its historic American partnership, while other major actors, including China and countries of the Global South, are also shaping evolving approaches to security and multilateral engagement. What consequences will this have for the relationship between Europe and China vis-à-vis global stakeholders such as Russia and the Ukraine, India and the Gulf or Africa?
As China remains a significant participant in the UN system and a major contributor to peacekeeping, the Global South has found increasing common ground with China in UN bodies. In this context, can joint efforts among the EU, China, and partners from the Global South strengthen the multilateral agenda and help to bridge their diverse systemic perspectives? In light of 55 years of diplomatic relations between Austria and China, we bring together perspectives from Beijing, Vienna, and Brussels to discuss current and future challenges and synergies.
The panel discussion will be followed by Break-Out-Round Tables with all the discussants and further Austrian academics and business representatives in order to provide for more detailed interaction and conversation.
Panel:
Liu Feitao, Vice President of China Institute of International Studies, Secretary General of China National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation, Senior Research Fellow
Xie Bo, research fellow of China Institute of International Studies
Thomas Eder, Research Fellow (Postdoctoral Researcher) at the Austrian Institute for International Affairs in Vienna and Lecturer at the Department of Political Science, University of Vienna
Susanne Weigelin-Schwiedrzik, Sinologist, Professor emerita at the Department of East Asian Studies, University of Vienna and corresponding member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
Additional discussants at the Break -Out-Round Tables also include:
Yang Bowen, Department for European Studies of China Institute of International Studies
Daniel Fuchs, China-expert and author at the Humboldt-Universität Berlin
Oliver Radtke, Sinologist, journalist, author, visiting professor at Shenzhen Technology University
Bu Shaohua, Deputy Director and Associate Research Fellow at the Department for European Studies in China Institute of International Studies
Moderation
Raimund Löw, journalist, author, historian
„Politics of Emotions“ was the title of Austrian writer Josef Haslinger's major essay, published almost forty years ago, which has since become a catchphrase. Political emotions and affects are also central to today's authoritarianism. In her keynote speech and in conversation with Robert Misik, Vera King sheds light on the socio-psychological dimensions of current right-wing populist and authoritarian mobilisations as destructive forms of rebellion. Emotionalisation takes on a new quality and dynamic: „The staging of grandiosity, for example, serves to stabilise power and bind supporters. It encourages or legitimises unprecedented transgressions of the rules,“ says King. „This staging generates consent to the power relationship out of enthusiasm, not coercion.“ The desire for destruction and the triumphant transgression of boundaries is constantly fuelled and at the same time proves to be a „dance on the volcano“. King analyses these and other socio-psychological aspects of the new authoritarianism.
Vera King is a German sociologist and social psychologist. She has been Professor of Sociology and Social Psychology at Goethe University Frankfurt and Director of the Sigmund Freud Institute in Frankfurt am Main since 2016.
Moderation
Robert Misik, Author and journalist
An event as part of our focus on
In focus: FALSE PATRIOTS - THE OPEN SOCIETY AND ITS ENEMIES
„The great exchange“, „remigration“, „climate hysteria“ or „asylum industry“ are terms that were introduced into public discourse by the New Right and have undergone a process of normalisation through constant repetition. Initially seen as a breach of taboo, they are used as part of a marketing, rhetoric and communication strategy that first pushes the boundaries of what can be thought and said and then creeps into political decision-making.
Natascha Strobl and Kira Ayyadi talk to presenter and journalist Cathrin Kahlweit about how the radical right is scoring points with increasingly radical and aggressive rhetoric, how it is flooding and dominating social media, how it is limiting the scope for action of political opponents and ultimately threatening civil society and democracy as part of the focus on „False patriots - the open society and its enemies“.
The Austrian publicist and author Natascha Stobl is one of the most renowned experts on modern right-wing extremism and has analysed the strategies of right-wing actors worldwide in numerous publications. Kira Ayyadi, political scientist and philosopher, works for the Berlin-based Amadeu-Antonie Foundation, researches and writes about right-wing structures and the threat posed by modern right-wing extremism.
Cathrin Kahlweit, SZ correspondent, publicist and presenter for many years
Photo credits: Christopher Glanzl
Last winter, five Ukrainian soldiers - four are servicemen with prosthetic legs and a severely wounded servicewoman - set out to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. “Second Wind” follows their journey from the realities of the battlefield to the physical and emotional challenge of the world's highest free-standing mountain. The film tells the story of resilience and determination at a moment when Ukraine continues to fight not only for its territorial integrity, but also for its democratic future in Europe.
The screening will be followed by a panel discussion focusing on the political and societal dimensions of the film: the resilience of Ukrainian society, the role of veterans in shaping the country's future, and the significance of Ukraine's European aspirations in the current geopolitical context. One of the soldiers featured in the film will be present.
Tickets are 10,50€
The film will be in Ukrainian with English subtitles, the discussion will be in English.
Introductory remarks:
Amb. Rupert Weinmann, Deputy Director-General for International Cultural Affairs, Ministry for European and International Affairs
Mr Yurii Vitrenko, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the International Organisations in Vienna
Ms. Oleksandr Irkhin, Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Ukraine in Vienna
Panel:
Masha Kondakova, film director
Gena Gazin, producer
N.N., soldier and film protagonist
Tessa Szyszkowitz, moderator
The Austrian political scientist, diplomat and author Thomas Nowotny can look back on an impressive and varied life's work: As a secretary in the office of Federal Chancellor Bruno Kreisky, he stood at the side of a formative personality of the Second Republic. His further career took him into the diplomatic service, where he served as Austrian Consul General in New York and established himself as a recognised foreign policy expert. For many years, he passed on his knowledge and experience to subsequent generations as a lecturer at the University of Vienna.
Even after his professional career, Thomas Nowotny remained a deeply political person. In retirement, he devoted himself to party work with undiminished energy. As an active member of Section 8, he contributed with great commitment: he drafted motions, developed well-founded concepts and regularly made intelligent and pointed contributions to discussions.
In 2017, Studienverlag published his book „Projekt Sozialdemokratie. Failed? Outdated? Forward-looking?“ In this plea, he showed ways in which social democracy could rally different social groups around an optimistic and realistic project for the future in a changed world and use new tools to continue its great successes between 1950 and 1980.
Thomas Nowotny died in March 2026 at the age of 88. Political and professional companions remember the outstanding intellectual and committed social democrat and talk about the future of social democracy.
About Thomas Nowotny:
Heinz Fischer, Former Federal President of the Republic of Austria.
Memories and perspectives:
Wolfgang Petritsch, Diplomat, former secretary to Bruno Kreisky
Mati Randow, Chairman of Section 8 (SPÖ Alsergrund)
Markus Wagner, Institute of Political Science at the University of Vienna
Moderation
Eric Frey, The Standard
Musical accompaniment:
Isabel Frey, singer and musicologist, granddaughter of Thomas Nowotny