KA EXTRA: Martin Kaiser on Right-wing Populism and the Crisis of Democracy in Germany

We are happy to welcome back Martin Kaiser who will speak to us about Right-Wing Populism and the Crisis of Democracy in Germany after the election last fall.

Martin Kaiser is the Director of the Gustav Stresemann Institute, Bad Bevensen, Germany, an institution that deals with the organization and implementation of international exchange programs with countries of the Arab Spring, U.S.A., Middle East, East and Western Europe to promote intercultural training and interreligious dialogue.

There is no doubt that right wing populism in Germany contributed to the election losses of the two leading political parties, the CDU/CSU and the SPD leaving neither one in a position to form a majority government. Chancellor Merkel’s attempt to build a coalition with two unlikely partners, the FDP and the Green Party, failed. The SPD was determined to go into the opposition to gain new popularity by developing strong alternative programs.

Almost three months after the election, Germany still finds itself without a new sworn in government. It took the intervention of Bundespresident Steinmeyer to persuade SPD leaders to engage in negotiations for the sake of the country. But would party members follow their leaders or risk a crisis of democracy in Germany? We just learnt that they in fact approved the beginning of coalition negotiations on Sunday, January 21, 2018. Is that the end of the crisis? This remains to be seen. Negotiations will be difficult, a rather rocky coalition, if any at all, may be the result.

We expect co-sponsoring for this lecture by the Philadelphia Arab-American Development Corps and United Voices of Philadelphia. This will extend the range of views and voices and guarantee an exciting and well-rounded discussion.

PS: Please, use the side door of the Society building to gain access to the Ratskeller.