This book highlights pressing challenges confronting liberal democracy and the rule of law by presenting a series of compelling narratives from individuals who experience the expression of dissensus over liberal democracy in their professional lives. By exploring diverse perspectives on democracy and contrasting visions for its future, the book offers a nuanced understanding of the dissensus surrounding liberal democracy today.
Through in-depth interviews with academics, intellectuals, artists, human rights activists, journalists, representatives of international organizations, and political and social actors, this book sheds new light on the current state of liberal democracy across various policy domains and countries. It illustrates the struggles and strategies of those facing democratic dissent while offering innovative pathways to reinvigorate liberal democracy for the 21st century.
The book concludes with forward-looking policy recommendations and citizen-centered solutions, addressing critical questions of legitimacy and resilience for liberal democracies in an era of global transformation.
The everyday experience of dissensus over liberal democracy.- Many of
the crises we face are invisible crises of meaning. Interview with Georgi
Gospodinov.- There are 27 ways to be democratic. Interview with Robert
Menasse.- We live in prefascist times in the sense that fascism is possible.
Interview with Natascha Strobl.- Liberalism increasingly undermines its own
conditions for social reproduction. Interview with Adrienne Buller.- No
fiscal rule is as strict as it is portrayed in public. Interview with
Philippa Sigl-Glöckner.- Social rights and civil rights are the embodiment of
the rule of law. Interview with Virginia Fiume.- It is crucial that our
internal alarm systems are well-tuned so we can quickly identify problems and
intervene. Interview with Diana Filimon.- People are getting increasingly
confused about what is information and what is opinion. Interview with
Laurent Richard.- It is time for us to take a real look at the causes and the
actors eroding democracy. Interview with Neil Datta.- Democracy is a more
complicated story to defend than to attack. Interview with John Morijn.- The
rule of law is too important to be exclusive to lawyers. Interview with
Petra Bárd.- All constitutional systems have their differences, but I do not
think any of them is immune. Interview with Maximilian Steinbeis.- The
question is how much of a downturn we will have to endure before things start
looking up. Interview with András Kádár.- I Wanted to Create Reality Instead
of Documenting It. Interview with Iwona Harris.- The nature of dissensus is
essentially social economic. Interview with Nikos Pilos.- Inaction is
perhaps the biggest threat to democracy. Interview with Nicholas Aiossa.- We
need to be careful about how many unresolved social conflicts, or dissensus,
are just moved to the courtroom. Interview with Vigjilenca Abazi.- As
humanitys future is at stake, climate inaction is arguably the most
concerning betrayal of the social contract between the State and its people.
Interview with .- Filippo Among the challenges the EU must face, like the
climate transition, a lot of workers feel that they will be left behind.
Interview with Ludovic Voet.- The EU is still the only trade player with a
vision for animal welfare in trade. Interview with Stephanie Ghislain.- The
national interest is not polarisation, the national interest is actually to
unify society. Interview with Vidar Helgesen.- I am deeply sceptical about
what democracy, especially liberal democracy, has turned into. Interview
with Nidara Ahmetaevi.- We need a democratic liberalism where everyone
feels they fit in. Interview with Kurt Bassuener.- The absence of
accountability and rule of law is directly leading to the loss of lives.
Interview with Sonja Stojanovi Gaji.- We should go for gradual accession.
Interview with Pierre Mirel.- The Western world cannot be the sole arbiter of
what democracy is or how it is modelled and engendered. Interview with Larbi
Sadiki.- Ghanas democracy has been reduced to an electoral democracy.
Interview with Vera Abena Addo.- We may well be on the path to global
destruction. And all I can do is fight against that. Interview with Sarah
Leah Whitson.
Ramona Coman is Professor of Political Science at the Universite libre de Bruxelles, Belgium, where she served as President (2009-2023) and Director (2014-2019) of the Institute for European Studies. Her research focuses on dynamics of policy/institutional change, democratization and Europeanization.
Frederik Ponjaert is researcher at the Institute for European Studies at Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and Assistant Lecturer in Comparative Regionalism at SciencesPo (IEP-Paris). His research is on comparative regionalism, with an emphasis on European and Asian realities.
Andrew Bradley is a development/democracy practitioner with a focus on Africa and Europe, specializing in EU-AU institutional architecture. He is the Scientific Coordinator of the PolyCIVIS Project at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and member of the RED-SPINEL Project Management Team at the Institut détudes européennes (IEE) of the ULB.
