October 13 2020 - 15:00 - 16:30 CET

In the , the rule of law has come under pressure in numerous new ways: from the vilification of courts and the President’s belief in the constitutionality of self-pardoning through executive order; or the Administration’s immigration policies falling foul of human rights protections; the rampant nepotism Trump has brought to the White House and the dubious measures to keep his business interests “at arm’s length”. More recently, the President has refused to give assurances he would accept the election outcome; at the same time he has taken advantage of the difficulties surrounding in-person voting during the current global pandemic, to further entrench voter suppression, undercutting the US postal service’s resources to deliver postal ballots.   

This virtual roundtable will also look at how the current administration has affected the commitment of the to protecting and promoting democracy and human rights globally. On the one hand, many nondemocratic leaders have been openly embraced, bringing about what has been defined an “autocratic relief syndrome”. On the other, those facing oppression in regions such as the Middle East, the Post-Soviet space or East-Asia no longer have been able to rely on President’s ;

The discussion will delve in these areas, focusing, among others, on these questions:
What damage has been dealt to US democracy and the Rule of law, as well as democracy promotion, and what may be its long term effects? 
What vulnerabilities does it reveal in the US system of checks and balances?
How does this compare to parallel trends that we observe in the EU and what does it tell us about the state of democracy as a system of government?
How will these developments affect the upcoming Presidential elections?
What steps need to be taken to strengthen and protect American democracy?


Panelists

Prof. R. Daniel Kelemen, Professor of Political Science and Law and Jean Monnet Chair in European Union Politics at Rutgers University.

Prof. Kim Lane Scheppele , Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Sociology and International Affairs in the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and in the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University

Moderator:
Alex Andrione-Moylan (Doctoral Fellow, Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies)

Participation is free and the webinar can be joined from anywhere in the world.