Decoding Autocracy: Democratic Erosion and the Rise of Hybrid Regimes

In cooperation with Bard College Berlin

Modern-day authoritarianism no longer looks like the authoritarianism of old. Global networks, aided by the alignment of authoritarian interests with Big Tech, support transnational authoritarian learning and even the active promotion of autocrats abroad. While If you look hard enough, you might think you’re seeing a functioning, if embattled, democracy in certain countries,.But their democracies have in fact been fundamentallydemocracy has eroded, leaving in its place what are often called "hybrid" regimes: they borrow from democracy and contain elements of the democratic systems they seek to disrupt and subsume, whether elections and opposition parties or an independent press. Yet what remains of these democratic institutions often lacks influence or power, which is held by a central authority intent on unitary control. 

This evening will feature a rare Berlin appearance by one of the premier chroniclers of this phenomenon, Andrew Marantz of The New Yorker, who has written about democratic backsliding in Hungary and the similarities with the second term of Donald Trump in the U.S. In conversation with Joshua Yaffa, his colleague at The New Yorker and the writer-in-residence at Bard College Berlin, Marantz will touch on the main attributes of these systems, and note where and how they have cropped up across the West in recent years—with Trump’s America the most pressing case study of the current moment. 

In which ways has American democracy already suffered, and where does it remain healthy and vital? What can we learn from these cases to prepare institutions for democratic backsliding and right-wing government takeovers? What are the moments or markers that societies can seize to restore, revitalize, or even rebuild stronger democracies both within and across borders? This evening will speak to the critical lessons from recent political history, as publics  on both sides of the Atlantic face increasing threats to democracy.  

With:

• Andrew Marantz is a staff writer at The New Yorker, where he has worked since 2011. He is the author of "Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation," which was published in 2019 and was named a best book of the year by the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and many other publications. His work has also appeared in Harper’s, New York, Mother Jones, the New York Times, among other places. A contributor to Radiolab and The New Yorker Radio Hour, he has spoken at TED and has been interviewed on CNN, MSNBC, NPR, and many other outlets.
• Further speaker tbc

Moderation: Joshua Yaffa is the inaugural Writer in Residence at Bard College Berlin. He is a contributing writer at The New Yorker and the author of Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin's Russia, which won the Orwell Prize in 2021. 

The discussion will be followed by a Q&A.

Event language: This event will be held in English.

Event location: Publix, Hermannstraße 90, 12051 Berlin

Contact:

Joshua Yaffa
Bard College Berlin
E joshuayaffa@gmail.com

Katharina Obser
Democracy Program Director
Heinrich Böll Foundation, Washington, DC
E katharina.obser@us.boell.org 

Deitra Myers
Division European Union and North America
Heinrich Böll Foundation Berlin
E myers@boell.de 

This event is part of a Bard College Berlin’s and the Heinrich Böll Foundation’s fall event series, “Writing Democracy: Stories, Ideas, and Arguments On and Off the Page.” The series brings prominent journalists and writers to a wider Berlin and German audience to discuss topics of civic and political interest in both Germany and the United States. Through the lens of writing, the series offers a larger exploration about democracy and democratic institutions in the transatlantic context: about politics and society in the U.S. and Europe, the lessons of history, the role for democratic values, and misconceptions on both sides of the Atlantic–all with the aim of strengthening transatlantic ties in a trying moment.

» Participation on site
 This event takes place in Publix, Hermannstraße 90, 12051 Berlin.

Please register in advance. Unfortunately, the number of seats for this event are limited.

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