Beyond Authoritarian Threat: The Variety of Populist Challenges to the Liberal International Order

Discussant: Roberto Frega (Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris)

We cordially invite you to the next session of our workshop series on Authoritarian Politics and International Relations at WZB! Cedric Koch will talk about the normative contestation of democratic legitimacy by populist parties and movements. In his paper “Beyond Authoritarian Threat: the Variety of Populist Challenges to the Liberal International Order”, he argues that the populist challenge to liberal democratic norms is ambivalent at core and depends on the state of liberal democratic legitimacy, on the degree of populist radicalism, and on the host-ideological variety. Three distinct varieties, each with authoritarian potential, are identified and empirically illustrated as typical subtypes: exclusionary, inclusionary, and transnational populism. Contrary to predictions that see an imminent threat to the liberal order by populists, the varied populist challenges to normative principles of global politics hold both dangers and promises for the liberal international order. 

Roberto Frega is a political philosopher and permanent researcher at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (Paris), and currently visiting fellow at the Centre Marc Bloch in Berlin. His current work is on democratic theory.

When: Once a month on a Tuesday afternoon (see dates below)

Where: WZB Berlin Social Science Center, Reichpietschufer 50, 10785 Berlin, Room A305

What: A classic format: 90 minute research seminar with one paper presentation (15 min), one discussant (10), and plenty of time for Q&A

Who: All scholars from WZB and the Berlin area and anyone interested in authoritarian politics and/or international relations

The next sessions you can find here.

Organized by Alexandros Tokhi (Department Global Governance) and Alexander Schmotz (Department of Democracy & Democratisation)