How Democracies Can Withstand Authoritarian Attacks

Russia’s attack on Ukraine has been nothing short of a turning point for Europe and the world. An authoritarian attack with the goal of dismantling democracy in Europe, progressive administrations are now tasked with supporting democratic allies at the global level while delivering on climate and justice domestically.

Now led by a progressive coalition of Social Democrats, Greens, and Liberals, Germany is redefining its global role in light of the attacks on democracy in Ukraine, Europe and beyond. The Scholz administration is now taking generation-defining decisions on energy partners, defense spending, trade, and its role as the de facto leader of Europe. What is clear: How Germany supports democratic allies in need and how it allies with value-aligned democracies globally will ultimately play a determining role if democratic projects around the world rise or demise.

This episode is a conversation between Pulitzer Prize Winner Anne Applebaum and Head of the German Federal Chancellery and Federal Minister for Special Tasks Wolfgang Schmidt, moderated by the Editor-in-Chief of the Guardian Katharine Viner on Germany’s role in preserving democracy in Europe and beyond. With an address by Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

The discussion is the fifth part of our Progressive Governance podcast series. We recorded this conversation as part of the Progressive Governance Summit which took place on October 13th 2022. To rewatch our debates, visit: progressive-governance.eu/live.
Many thanks to our PGS co-hosts, 10 progressive organisations from Europe and North America, and 15 partners.

Post-production and additional recordings done by Emma Gasster and Das Progressive Zentrum. This session was designed in cooperation with the Foundation for European Progressive Studies and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung.