Name: READING | Defending Democracy
Start: 2020-02-24T19:00:00-05:00
End: 2020-02-24T21:00:00-05:00
Location: Embassy of Austria

READING | Defending Democracy

The Austrian Cultural Forum Washington (ACF DC) serves as a focal point to promote Austrian culture and art in the Washington DC metro area. By organizing a variety of cultural events (concerts, film screenings, exhibitions, theatre performances, lectures and panel discussions) throughout the year, we aim at encouraging cultural exchange between Austrian and American artists and its audiences.

Austrian Cultural Forum Washington

A Meditation on Basic Democratic Values in Times of Political and Economic Insecurity

Embassy of Austria

After the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, the victory parade of democracy seemed unstoppable. 20 years later, the initial euphoria of a world-historical break-through of basic democratic thinking has given way to great disillusionment. Globalization, rising unemployment, retrenchment in social programs, marginalization of large societal groups and the bank and sovereign debt crisis of 2008: all this has led to shrinking trust in democracy and its institutions. In 1932, the Austrian-Jewish jurist Hans Kelsen observed, in regard to the developments in the Weimar Republic: &quot;Democracy is that form of government which least resists its adversaries. It seems to be its tragic fate that it must nurse even its worst enemy on its own breast.&quot; In exile in the U.S., he pointedly formulated the dilemma of democracy: &quot;Democracy cannot defend itself by abandoning itself.&quot; Especially in these times of political and economic uncertainty, it seems important to remind ourselves of the great achievement democracy is, and that it is worth fighting for. We can succeed in doing so by resorting to texts of authors and thinkers who, in their time, fought against undermining tendencies of dissolution and the erosion of the state by totalitarian forces. The cry for simple solutions, the longing for a strong man who liberates us from the complex trap of a globalized world, is growing louder. The program &quot;Defending Democracy&quot; wants to take a stand against that. Narrator: Gregorij H. von Leïtis Concept and introductory talk: Michael Lahr The <a href="https://acfdc.org/events-2020/reading-defending-democracy" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Austrian Cultural Forum Washington</a> is delighted to welcome Gregorij H. von Leïtis and Michael Lahr from the NY based non-profit organization <a href="https://www.lahrvonleitisacademy.eu/en/index.html" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Elysium - Between Two Continents/The Lahr von Leitis Academy &amp; Archive</a> back again in DC, this time presenting their program Defending Democracy. A Meditation on Basic Democratic Values in Times of Political and Economic Insecurity, a literary collage with texts by Robert F. Kennedy, Hermynia zur Mühlen, Erich Mühsam, Alfred Polgar, Carl von Ossietzky, Joseph Roth, Hans Sahl, Kurt Tucholsky, Lasantha Wikrematunge, and others. ~~~~~~~~~~Parking on International Court is available after 6:30 pm (for the duration of the event) or on 36th Street; access to the Embassy through the park behind the building.A registration is not a guarantee of a seat as these are assigned on a first-come first-served basis. Doors close at event start-time.

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READING | Defending Democracy

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READING | Defending Democracy

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