The German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) and the Cluster of Excellence “Contestations of the Liberal Script” (SCRIPTS) cordially invite you for a panel discussion on:

Polarization and Deep Contestations:
The Liberal Script in the United States

Monday, November 11, 2024, 05:00 to 07:00 p.m.
The event will be followed by a reception

DGAP, Rauchstr. 17, 10787 Berlin & via Zoom

One week after the US elections, please join us for an engaging discussion on the deep contestations of the liberal script in contemporary America. This event draws from the new book Polarization and Deep Contestations: The Liberal Script in the United States, which explores the ideological and affective polarization affecting American democracy today.

Our speakers will delve into the key drivers of political polarization, comparing the situation in the United States to developments in Germany. They will discuss how these contestations impact US foreign policy, US-German relations, and the broader landscape of democracy.

The book argues that the current crisis is marked not only by Donald Trump’s influence but also by deeper ideological divides. Each chapter addresses critical questions about the uniqueness of the US experience compared to other liberal democracies and examines the root causes of these contestations.

We invite you to engage in this timely conversation, which will cover topics including the US public sphere, populism, the Supreme Court, and the role of Christian evangelicalism and African American contestations.

Speakers:

• Tanja A. Börzel, Professor of Political Science, Otto Suhr Institute of Political Science, Freie Universität Berlin; and Director of the Cluster of Excellence “Contestations of the Liberal Script” (SCRIPTS), Berlin, Germany

• Ralf Fücks, Managing Director of the Center for Liberal Modernity/Zentrum für Liberale Moderne and former head of the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation

• Chris Spear, President and CEO of the American Trucking Associations, with extensive experience in business and various Republican federal governments

• Rachel Tausendfreund, Senior Research Fellow for Transatlantic Relations at DGAP

Moderator:

• Thomas Risse, Senior Professor of International Relations at the Cluster of Excellence “Contestations of the Liberal Script” (SCRIPTS), Freie Universität Berlin; and Head of the DGAP Academic Advisory Committee

To attend, we kindly ask you to register here: events@dgap.org.

If you have any questions, please contact Yulia Loeva (events@dgap.org)