In “Democracy Against Liberalism” the author argues that there are three important political spectra: democracy versus authoritarianism, liberalism versus absolutism and technocracy versus populism. Tucker asserts that most of Central Europe functioned as an illiberal democracy from 1990 to 2010. In the meantime, some technocratic democracies have transitioned to illiberal populist democracies – states Benjamin…

Russia has resisted formulating its own green agenda, putting itself in a position of playing catch-up with the West. The country needs to acknowledge and incorporate the world’s inevitable energy transition in its own domestic and foreign policy. Everyone stands to benefit from greater environmental awareness on the part of the energy giant.

Nobody knows what globalization will look like in the future, but globalization as we have understood it so far is over. Decisions made today in monetary, fiscal, energy and health sectors will reveal whether the present paradigm, based on economic integration, can be substituted with a process focused on managing the global commons.

It's such a cliche that Americans don't know anything about the world and don't care about the world. A very high number of Americans have fought in wars and served abroad in the last several decades. They have dealt with people from very different cultures. It's a mistake to think that Americans are just in…

Central to the new German Europe strategy, as both Scholz and Baerbock have repeatedly acknowledged, will be the relationship with France, and especially President Emmanuel Macron.

The shale revolution – an unexpected phenomenon with far-reaching consequences – has been thrown into disarray by the global pandemic—an even more shocking phenomenon. But despite the serious setback, the revolution has not breathed its last. American innovation and the genius of capitalism can stand the sector in good stead once the world’s economy starts…

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his ruling government party Fidesz have secured comfortable leads in the last three general elections, most of the time ruling by a 2/3 supermajority. In 2022, the joint opposition will come together as a whole for the first time in Hungarian history, from right to left, as one unit…

The American political system is in the most serious crisis in decades, argue Ivan Hodac and Rüdiger Lentz in a double interview with Łukasz Pawłowski. The roots of this crisis go much deeper, they say, and the crisis is not a one-dimensional problem, but different factors have come together, like streams falling into one river.

A future author of the history of Europe in the twenty-first century will perhaps conclude that the most consequential event of the previous decade for our continent was the refusal of the Ukrainian President at the time, Viktor Yanukovych, to sign the Association Agreement with the European Union in November 2013. What comes to mind…

Speeaking about democratic values, Europe’s future challenges and the question of why Europe is simply the best place to live in the world—Ursula von der Leyen has been President of the European Commission since December 2019, making her the first female leader of the EU. The CDU politician previously held the posts of Federal Minister…

Is a rising tide of authoritarianism sweeping across the globe, or are we actually in a hyper-charged era of democracy? As people choose their governments – not just by voting but by moving into like-minded communities, whether physical or virtual – the question should not be whether democracy can survive the onslaught of illiberalism. It…

“Recent events in the Czech Republic clearly show that the times when one could be a member of NATO and the European Union and at the same time allow Russians to build nuclear power plants in the Czech Republic are coming to an end.” Maksim Samorukov states in an interview with Zbigniew Rokita.

We live in times when democracies have to prove they can still meet the needs of their citizens or be defeated by authoritarianism. The major question is how to make democracy deliver security and stability to its citizens without compromising its core values. Łukasz Pawłowski reflects on issues discussed during Aspen's Seminar for Young European…

Young Belarusians will continue to go to Polish or Lithuanian universities. I am not convinced, however, that this will foster democratization, says Piotr Pogorzelski in an interview with Zbigniew Rokita.

Czechia (Bohemia) is a small country, but it was not always so. When, after the defeat of the Protestants at the Battle of the White Mountain in 1620, Jan Ámos Komenský took refuge in Leszno in Greater Poland, it was situated all of ten kilometers from the then Czech border. At that time, Silesia, together…

Dear Readers, On the occasion of our Aspen Annual Conference, it is my greatest pleasure to introduce you to the first and only printed version of the Aspen Review in 2021. Despite transitioning to an online form of publishing, we have decided to bring you a selection of our most exciting and insightful articles reacting to…

COVID-19 has brought together a wide range of scientists, policymakers, and businesses in an unprecedented fashion. Just like neighbors who barely responded to one another's greetings in the past, with the surge of the pandemic, they have begun to exchange far more than minimal gestures of empathy. The shared awareness of the ubiquitous presence of…

We’re very glad to republish this article by Maurizio Sgroi that appeared in our Italian sister-journal Aspenia. China has its sights set on the future of globalization and is preparing to compete in the strategic sectors of modernity, investing heavily in establishing new routes, spreading its currency and strengthening its armed forces. In fact, the…