Interviews and Podcasts

To Free Everybody Through Inclusion – Leila Farsakh on Settler Colonial Violence and the Palestinian Path to Emancipation

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Leila Farsakh explains what has been truly novel and devastating about the conflict in Palestine and Israel this fall; discusses how the [...]

Central and Eastern Europe after the Polish Elections: In Conversation with Daniel Hegedüs

Despite the Polish opposition election victory in the 15 October elections on 27 November President Duda swore in the Law and Justice Party ahead of a confidence vote that the incumbents seem set [...]

The Rule of Law in Malta: In Conversation with Jenny Orlando-Salling

In the latest RevDem Rule of Law podcast, Oliver Garner discusses the current state of the Rule of Law, democracy, and corruption in Malta with Jenny Orlando-Salling. Jenny is a Ph.D. researcher [...]

Peoples of Europe — National Leaders and Public Opinion in The Post-Maastricht Era: In Conversation With Dermot Hodson

Why was the ratification of the Maastricht Treaty a significant moment for the EU? Who are the right-wing populists in the EU and how has their modus operandi changed throughout the decades? Why [...]

Ruzha Smilova on Bulgaria gripped by political instability

In conversation with Flora Hevesi, Ruzha Smilova explores Bulgaria's complex and ongoing political crisis, which has left a profound mark on the country's political landscape.

Disabusing Constitutional Identity? In Conversation with Julian Scholtes

The monograph The Abuse of Constitutional Identity in the European Union (OUP, 2023) by Julian Scholtes (Lecturer in Public Law, University of Glasgow) was published in September. In this latest [...]

What Makes the Identity Synthesis a Trap? Yascha Mounk on the Emergence, Appeal, and Consequences of a Defining Ideology of Our Time

In this conversation with Ferenc Laczó, Yascha Mounk discusses his last book "The Identity Trap. A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time".

The Darkened Light of Faith. Melvin L. Rogers on African American Political Thought

In this conversation Ferenc Laczó, Melvin Rogers introduces the thinkers he has studied and explains why he chose to engage with their ideas; discusses the normative vision of African American [...]

Bloodless Murder: Stefano Bottoni on How the Orbán Regime Was Made and What Hungary Has Become

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Stefano Bottoni – author of the new Hungarian-language book A hatalom megszállottja. Orbán Viktor Magyarországa (Obsessed with Power. Viktor [...]

The Freedom to Stay: Eva von Redecker on Positive Ecological Freedom and the Need for a New Temporal Literacy

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Eva von Redecker – author of the new German-language book Bleibefreiheit (The Freedom to Stay) – shows what it means to think of freedom in [...]

A Betrayal of Liberalism: Samuel Moyn on the Mistaken Path of Cold War Liberals  

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Samuel Moyn – author of the new book Liberalism Against Itself. Cold War Intellectuals and the Making of Our Times – discusses what motivated [...]

Negotiating Amidst Turmoil: Analyzing the Interplay of Dialogue and Conflict in Kosovo-Serbia Relations

In this conversation with assistant editor Lorena Drakula, Bodo Weber, a Senior Fellow at the Democratization Policy Council in Berlin, discusses the current situation, as well as the complex [...]

Models of Judicial Independence in Europe: In Conversation with Pablo Castillo Ortiz

In this latest RevDem Rule of Law podcast, assistant editor Teodora Miljojkovic discusses the different models of judicial independence in Spain and beyond with Pablo Castillo Ortiz. 

“Neither Amnesia nor Nostalgia” Discussing the Non-Aligned Movement with Chiara Bonfiglioli, Agustín Cosovschi, and Paul Stubbs  

In this conversation with RevDem contributor Una Blagojević, Paul Stubbs, Chiara Bonfiglioli, and Agustín Cosovschi discuss the different meanings of the Non-Aligned Movement and the need to [...]

India’s Basic Structure Doctrine: Past, Present, and Future: In Conversation with Moiz Tundawala and Anuj Bhuwania

In this episode, assistant editor Rohit Sarma discusses the “basic structure” doctrine of the Indian Constitution on the occasion of its 50th anniversary with Moiz Tundawala and Anuj Bhuwania, [...]

A Savage War of Russian Decline: Serhii Plokhy Discusses the Russo-Ukrainian War

In this conversation co-hosted by Marta Haiduchok (Visible Ukraine) and Ferenc Laczó (the Review of Democracy), Serhii Plokhy – author of the new book "The Russo-Ukrainian War" – discusses why [...]

Germans and Genocide after the Holocaust. Andrew Port Discusses How Germans Have Responded to the Global History of Mass Atrocities

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Andrew Port – author of the new book Never Again. Germans and Genocide after the Holocaust – describes and compares the German responses to [...]

The War in Ukraine and Transition: In Conversation with Maria Popova

Despite, or perhaps due to, the war in Ukraine there have been positive developments in combating corruption and other issues in anticipation of EU membership. In this RevDem Rule of Law podcast [...]

Turkish parties have always been authoritarian. Tezcan Gümüs on the results of the presidential election in Turkey

Turkey's presidential election was held on 28 May, with incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan winning against Kemal Kilicdaroglu. Kasper Ly Netterstrom talks to Tezcan Gümüs, author of [...]

How Europeans Live Now: Ben Judah on Capturing the Arc of Life in Our Time

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Ben Judah – author of the new book This is Europe. How We Live Now – discusses what motivated him to tell stories on a continental scale, [...]

The Art of Generous Critique: Adam Shatz on the Radical Imagination – and an Overdue Humbling

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Adam Shatz – author of the new collection Writers and Missionaries: Essays on the Radical Imagination – discusses his approach to painting [...]

Suspending Hungary’s Presidency of the Council of the EU? In Conversation with John Morijn and Alberto Alemanno

In recent weeks proposals by the Meijers Committee to suspend Hungary’s Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2024 have received support in a resolution of the European Parliament. In this [...]

Nested Stories of Persecution: Ari Joskowicz Discusses the Asymmetrical Entanglements of Jews and Roma in History and Memory

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Ari Joskowicz – author of the new book Rain of Ash: Roma, Jews, and the Holocaust – discusses the ways Jewish and Romani histories have been [...]

Constitutional Conflicts are Inevitable: In Conversation with Orlando Scarcello

In this conversation with RevDem editor Kasia Krzyżanowska, Orlando Scarcello discusses his newest book Radical Constitutional Pluralism in Europe (Routledge 2022). He elaborates on the [...]

The Curse of the Margin? Central Europe before and after Communism

In conversation with RevDem assistant editor Lucie Hunter, Dr. Aliaksei Kazharski discusses his newest book Central Europe Thirty Years after the Fall of Communism: A Return to the Margin? [...]

Danielle Allen on Power-Sharing Liberalism

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Danielle Allen – author of the new book "Justice by Means of Democracy" – discusses her proposal of a power-sharing liberalism and explains [...]

Accession Through War? Ukraine and the EU: In Conversation with Roman Petrov

In this podcast, Oliver Garner speaks to Professor Roman Petrov on this subject of “accession through war”. Professor Petrov is the Jean Monney Chair in EU Law and Head of the Centre of [...]

The Curse of Russian Imperialism: Martin Schulze Wessel on Imperial Optics, False Dichotomies, and the Need to Reconsider East European History

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Martin Schulze Wessel – author of the new book Der Fluch des Imperiums. Die Ukraine, Polen und der Irrweg in der Russischen Geschichte [...]

Can the Center Hold? Thomas Biebricher on the International Crisis of Conservatism

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Thomas Biebricher – author of the new book "Mitte/Rechts: Die international Krise des Konservatismus" (Center/Right: The International Crisis [...]

Informal Power in Hungary and Poland: In Conversation with Edit Zgut-Przybylska

Formal Rule of Law backsliding in Hungary and Poland has been well-publicized. Yet this is just the tip of the iceberg of a system of informal power connections that are undermining the Rule of [...]

The Colonial Origins of Modern Social Thought: George Steinmetz on French Sociology and the Overseas Empire

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, George Steinmetz – author of the major new monograph "The Colonial Origins of Modern Social Thought. French Sociology and the Overseas [...]

Helsinki in Budapest: In Conversation with András Kádár and Márta Pardavi

In the latest RevDem Rule of Law podcast Oliver Garner discusses the work of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee. András Kádár is an attorney at law and co-chair of the Committee. Amongst other [...]

Illiberalism in Israel? The Protests against Judicial Reform: In Conversation with Adam Shinar

In this podcast, Assistant Editor of the Rule of Law section Teodora Miljojkovic discusses the reforms with Professor Adam Shinar, Associate Professor at Harry Radzyner Law School, Reichman [...]

Navigating Hierarchies and Balkanist Discourses in Europeanization: A Conversation with Vjosa Musliu

In this conversation with assistant editor Lorena Drakula, Vjosa Musliu discusses her book "Europeanization and State Building as Everyday Practices. Performing Europe in the Western Balkans" [...]

Clara Mattei: Why is austerity so persistent in spite of its incapacity to achieve economic growth and balanced budgets?

In this interview with RevDem assistant editor Giancarlo Grignaschi, Clara Mattei – Assistant Professor in the Economics Department of The New School for Social Research – talks about her new [...]

A World Without Democracy: Quinn Slobodian on jurisdictional cracks and the crackpots who made capitalism as we know it

In this conversation with Ferenc Laczó and Vera Scepanovic, Quinn Slobodian – author of the new book "Crack-Up Capitalism: Market Radicals and the Dream of a World Without Democracy" – discusses [...]

Be Realistic, Demand Significant Change! Daniel Chandler on What a Progressive Liberal Society of the Future Could Look Like

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Daniel Chandler – author of the new book "Free and Equal: What Would a Fair Society Look Like?" – discusses key principles that a better and [...]

Racialized Labor — Eastern Europeans on The Western Market

In this conversation with RevDem editor Kasia Krzyzanowska, Aleksandra Lewicki discusses her recently published article “East-west inequalities and the ambiguous racialization of ‘Eastern [...]

Playing Hardball: Political-Ethical Challenges of Illiberal Regimes

In this conversation with Kasia Krzyżanowska, Zoltán Gábor Szűcs discusses his newest book Political ethics in illiberal regimes. A realist interpretation.

Permanent Negotiation: Balázs Trencsényi on how new projects at the CEU Democracy Institute relink knowledge production, education, and civic engagement

Delving into the research conducted at the Democracy in History group of the CEU Democracy Institute and ongoing initiatives such as the Invisible University for Ukraine and the Academics Facing [...]

Party alliances in Turkey have never been as relevant and as transparent as today [Party Co-Op Series]

In this episode of the party cooperation series, Zsolt Enyedi talks with Murat Somer, professor at Koç University, on Turkish party alliances ahead of the parliamentary and presidential elections [...]

Listening for Silences: Michael Freeden on the Role of Silence in Political Thinking

In this conversation with RevDem assistant editor Lorena Drakula, Michael Freeden – leading political theorist and author of the new book Concealed Silences and Inaudible Voices in Political [...]

Weak prospects for Russia’s democratization

Wolfgang Merkel offers a typological classification of Putin's Russia after exploring how it compares with fascist regimes in Germany and Italy as well as Stalinism, and opines that several [...]

The Greatest Hits — Populist Edition. In conversation with Johannes Voelz

In this conversation with Kasia Krzyżanowska, Johannes Voelz discusses his theory of the aesthetics of populism, explains how Pierre Bourdieu and Norbert Elias can help us understand contemporary [...]

Constitutionalism — An Opium for the Lawyers

In this conversation with Kasia Krzyżanowska, Martin Loughlin discusses his newest book Against Constitutionalism (Harvard University Press 2022).

Aakar Patel on His New Toolkit to Protest and Peaceful Resistance

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Aakar Patel – author of "The Anarchist Cookbook. A Toolkit to Protest and Peaceful Resistance" – discusses why he considers dissent essential [...]

Reacting to Globalization’s Discontents: Tara Zahra on Anti-Globalism and Mass Politics

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Tara Zahra – author of the new monograph "Against the World: Anti-Globalism and Mass Politics Between the World Wars" – discusses the common [...]

In Conversation with Danuta Hübner — Ukraine’s Road to EU Accession

In this conversation with Kasia Krzyżanowska, Danuta Hübner explains the specificities of the EU accession path for Ukraine, elaborates on the difficulties other countries had to overcome (most [...]

In conversation with Jakub Jaraczewski: The European Commission’s latest action against Poland and Hungary

In this latest RevDem Rule of Law podcast, Oliver Garner speaks to Jakub Jaraczewski about the European Commission’s latest actions to defend the EU’s values against backsliding Member States. [...]

Merchant of Ideas: Jerry Z. Muller on Jacob Taubes

In the conversation with Vilius Kubekas, Jerry Z. Muller discusses the life of German Jewish intellectual Jacob Taubes.

Dóra Piroska on Financial Nationalism

RevDem assistant editor Giancarlo Grignaschi in conversation with Dóra Piroska, assistant professor at CEU in Vienna at the department of International Relations, about her chapter on financial [...]

Democracy First: Shadi Hamid on Why and How to Support Democratic Change

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Shadi Hamid – author of the new book "The Problem of Democracy: America, the Middle East, and the Rise and Fall of an Idea" – addresses [...]

Fantasy and Trauma: Dan Stone on Writing the History of the Holocaust

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Dan Stone – author of the new book The Holocaust: An Unfinished History – discusses various ways the history of the Holocaust has been [...]

Taming the Anthropocene: Zoltán Boldizsár Simon and Lars Deile on a New Era of Historical Understanding

In this conversation, our guest contributor Alexandra Medzibrodszky talks with Zoltán Boldizsár Simon and Lars Deile, the co-editors of the recently published volume "Historical Understanding: [...]

Wolfgang Merkel: “Democracy and capitalism are forcibly married”

In this interview with Bascha Mika, political scientist Wolfgang Merkel on the close connection between open societies and capitalist economic systems and the consequences of social inequality.

In Conversation with Anna Wójcik: 2023 – The 8th Season of the Poland Rule of Law Telenovela

In autumn 2023, Polish parliamentary elections will take place 8 years after the Law and Justice Party came to power and the “Rule of Law crisis” with the EU commenced. In this first RevDem Rule [...]

Illiberalism and Gender in Post-communist Europe

The podcast is based on the conference and the special issue of Politics and Governance, No. 3 in 2022 edited by Matthijs Bogaards (CEU Department of Political Science, CEU Democracy Institute) [...]

In Conversation with Bruce Robbins — Criticism and Politics

In this conversation with RevDem editor Kasia Krzyżanowska, Bruce Robbins discusses his newest book Criticism and Politics. A Polemical Introduction.

Building Enduring Democracies: Filip Milačić on the Effects of Nation and State Building on Democratic Consolidation

In this conversation with RevDem assistant editor Lorena Drakula, Filip Milačić – author of the book "Stateness and Democratic Consolidation. Lessons from Former Yugoslavia" – discusses the [...]

Beverly Gage on J. Edgar Hoover and the American Century

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Beverly Gage – author of the new biography "G-Man. J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century" – discusses how Hoover built and [...]

New Year Special

In a special edition of the RevDem podcast, our editors Laszlo Bruszt, Oliver Garner, Kasia Krzyżanowska, Ferenc Laczo, Michał Matlak, and Renata Uitz discuss their favorite RevDem content, best [...]

The Hungarian Government Became Hostage of Its Own Propaganda

In this conversation with RevDem Editor Robert Nemeth, Hungarian journalist Szabolcs Panyi talks about the Hungarian government’s response to the war in Ukraine, why it is not willing to counter [...]

The EU Prize for Literature — In Conversation with Anne Bergman-Tahon

What is the EUPL? What is the story behind and what are its aims? Is there a European-wide readership? How to promote European literature? These and more questions are answered by Anne [...]

Cannibal Capitalism: Nancy Fraser on How the Global Economic Order Consumes the Foundations of Our Democracy and Society

In this conversation with RevDem Political Economy and Inequalities section co-head Vera Scepanovic, Nancy Fraser – whose newest book "Cannibal Capitalism" has just been released – explains why [...]

Informal Powers as a Barrier to EU Accession. Nino Tsereteli on Georgia’s EU Candidacy

In this podcast episode, Teodora Miljojkovic discusses with Nino Tsereteli the roadblocks to Georgia's accession to the European Union.  Their discussion covers how the response from Georgian [...]

How the Necessary Cold War Ended – and Why an Unnecessary One Followed It: Archie Brown on the Political and the Personal in the Relationship Between the West and the Soviet Union/Russia

In this conversation with RevDem assistant editor Iker Itoiz Ciáurriz, Archie Brown – author of the recently released book "The Human Factor. Gorbachev, Reagan, and Thatcher, and the End of the [...]

Emancipating Jews from Narratives of Victimhood and Redemption: Susan Neiman Discusses Germany’s Current Memory Culture

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Susan Neiman dissects what has made the articulation of universalistic Jewish commitments increasingly difficult in the German public sphere; [...]

The Stories We Tell Ourselves — In Conversation with Peter Brooks

In this conversation with RevDem editor Kasia Krzyżanowska, Peter Brooks — author of the new book Seduced by Story. The Use and Abuse of Narrative — discusses the "storyfication" of reality; [...]

How 2000 people made an impact at a time when society was silent: András Bozóki on the rolling transition of Hungary

In this discussion, RevDem Managing Editor Michał Matlak discusses with András Bozóki about his last book, "Rolling Transition and the Role of Intellectuals: Case of Hungary", published this year [...]

RevDem Debate | Rainbow Families in the EU: Obstacles to Full Equality

Alina Tryfonidou (Neapolis University Paphos) presented the main points of her work on the obstacles that rainbow families face on the road to equality in the European Union. The presentation was [...]

Liberalism Hasn’t Provided Adequate Answers to Today’s Major Crises: Luke Savage on Contemporary Liberalism and Its Democratic Socialist Critique

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Luke Savage – author of "The Dead Center. Reflections on Liberalism and Democracy After the End of History" – discusses key aspects of his [...]

Why film matters: Oksana Sarkisova on the importance of documenting society

In this conversation with RevDem assistant editor Lucie Hunter, Oksana Sarkisova – Blinken OSA Research Fellow and the Director of Verzió International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival – [...]

Why Do Autocracies Last? Lucan Way on the Longevity of Revolutionary Regimes

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Lucan Way – co-author, with Steven Levitsky, of the new book "Revolution and Dictatorship: The Violent Origins of Durable Authoritarianism" – [...]

The Trouble with Fortune: Zsuzsanna Szelényi on Hungary’s Tainted Democracy

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Zsuzsanna Szelényi – author of the new book "Tainted Democracy. Viktor Orbán and the Subversion of Hungary" – analyzes the main [...]

Why Waste Our Data in Online Malls? Ben Tarnoff on Democratizing the Internet

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Ben Tarnoff – author of the new book "Internet for the People. The Fight for Our Digital Future" – discusses how the internet was created and [...]

Democracy as a Way of Facing Obstacles: Lilia Moritz Schwarcz on Brazilian Authoritarianism and the Unfinished Project of Full Citizenship

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Lilia Moritz Schwarcz – author of the book "Brazilian Authoritarianism" – contrasts mythological and critical-realistic versions of Brazilian [...]

Magic Mountain on Goodreads — On Experiencing Mann’s novel

In this conversation with RevDem editor Kasia Krzyżanowska, Karolina Watroba discusses her first book “Mann’s Magic Mountain: World Literature and Closer Reading,” published with Oxford [...]

Building Majorities is the Essence of Democracy: Timothy Shenk on His New Biography of American Democracy

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Timothy Shenk – author of "Realigners: Partisan Hacks, Political Visionaries, and the Struggle to Rule American Democracy" – discusses what [...]

The (Re)making of Constitutional Democracy? In conversation with Paolo Sandro

In this latest RevDem Rule of Law section podcast, Oliver Garner speaks to Paolo Sandro, Lecturer in Law at the University of Leeds.  Sandro’s recently published monograph The Making of [...]

Ramona Coman on the emergence of the EU’s rule of law policy shaped by growing dissensus

In this discussion with Ramona Coman by RevDem managing editor Michał Matlak, they discuss the questions addressed in her recent book "The Politics of the Rule of Law in the EU Polity: Actors, [...]

Is There Something We Can Salvage of Universalism? Till van Rahden on Conceptual History and Liberal Democracy

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Till van Rahden discusses his last book "Vielheit. Jüdische Geschichte und die Ambivalenzen des Universalismus" (Multitude. Jewish History [...]

How to Best Manage the Unfolding Crisis of Everything: Gaia Vince on Key Implications of the Climate Crisis

In conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Gaia Vince – author of the new book "Nomad Century: How to Survive the Climate Upheaval" – sketches the transformations climate change and the [...]

A Path to Democracy Without Destabilization: Joseph Wong Explains the Types of Development and the Patterns of Uneven Democratization in Modern Asia

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Joseph Wong – co-author with Dan Slater of the new monograph "From Development to Democracy. The Transformations of Modern Asia" – discusses [...]

“Vacanze Romane” for the EU’s Values Crisis?

In his latest op-ed, RevDem editor Oliver Garner analyzes the Italian election results and their implications not only for Italy, but also for the European Union.

The Way Europeans Stop Migration is Absolutely Horrific: A Conversation with Sally Hayden

In conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Sally Hayden – author of "My Fourth Time, We Drowned: Seeking Refuge on the World's Deadliest Migration Route" – discusses the various detention [...]

Down-to-Earth Machines of Exploitation. Andreas Eckert on Colonialism, Slavery, and Current Debates

In this conversation with Norman Aselmeyer, Andreas Eckert – author of German-language overviews of the history of colonialism and of slavery – presents his approach to the history of colonialism.

Ambiguous Tests of Loyalty: Franziska Exeler about the Second World War and its Long Shadow in Belarus

In this extended conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Franziska Exeler – author of the new monograph "Ghosts of War: Nazi Occupation and Its Aftermath in Soviet Belarus" – discusses the [...]

In conversation with Francis Fukuyama: “Russia would not have invaded Ukraine if it had been a democracy” 

In this interview with Francis Fukuyama, hosted by Laetitia Strauch-Bonart (Editor of the Ideas section in the French weekly L’Express) and Michał Matlak (RevDem Managing Editor), they discuss [...]

What Does Right-Wing Anti-Gender Mobilization Have to Do with Progressive Gender Trends? Eszter Kováts Investigates the Politics of Fidesz and AfD

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Eszter Kováts discusses the conclusions she has drawn from her comparison of the discourse coalitions around AfD in Germany and Fidesz in Hungary.

How Socialism Went Global – and Why It Withdrew. An Alternative Global History

RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó interviews three authors of the new collective monograph "Socialism Goes Global. The Soviet Union and Eastern Europe in the Age of Decolonization", Péter Apor, James [...]

Democracies Proved More Successful at Breaking Promises. Fritz Bartel on the End of the Cold War and the Rise of Neoliberalism

RevDem section heads Vera Scepanovic and Ferenc Laczó talk with Fritz Bartel, author of "Triumph of Broken Promises. The End of the Cold War and the Rise of Neoliberalism".

It is a mistake to see the Eastern vision as undemocratic. Peter Verovšek on European memory

In this conversation with RevDem editor Kasia Krzyżanowska, Peter Verovšek — author of “Memory and the future of Europe. Rupture and integration in the wake of total war” — discusses the [...]

Repairing the Damage to Our Ethical Categories. A Conversation with Charlotte Wiedemann

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Charlotte Wiedemann – author of the just released German-language volume Den Schmerz der Anderen begreifen. Holocaust und Weltgedächtnis (To [...]

Rehabilitating the Principle of Hope in Modern History. Enzo Traverso on Revolutions

In conversation with Una Blagojević and Iker Itoiz Ciaurriz, Enzo Traverso discusses key themes in his newest book Revolution: An Intellectual History (Verso, 2021).

In Conversation with John Shattuck: “Rights, if you can keep them” 

Teodora Miljojkovic interviews Professor John Shattuck, international legal scholar, diplomat, human rights leader and previous CEU rector. Teodora and Professor Shattuck discussed the book [...]

“Post-War Christian Democracy Was Relatively Short-Lived” Fabio Wolkenstein on the Dark Side of Christian Democratic History and Politics 

In this conversation with Ferenc Laczó, Fabio Wolkenstein – author of the new book Die dunkle Seite der Christdemokratie. Geschichte einer autoritaeren Versuchung (The Dark Side of Christian [...]

5 QUESTIONS to a Scholar: Jeffrey Goldfarb

This is the beginning of a new RevDem series where we talk with academics in the field of democracy studies and inquire about their most formative cultural experiences. For our first installment, [...]

Danica Fink-Hafner: Voters turn towards symbolic personalities when they are disappointed with political parties [Party Co-Op Series]

Zsolt Enyedi discusses party cooperation in Slovenia with Danica Fink-Hafner, professor and Head of the Political Science Research Programme at University of Ljubljana, and expert on party [...]

Democracy Depends on Those Who Are Harder to Fool: Daniel Treisman on the Changing Face of Dictatorship

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Daniel Treisman – co-author, with Sergei Guriev, of "Spin Dictators: The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st Century" – discusses how ‘spin [...]

A Global History of Hungary: In Conversation with Ferenc Laczó, Bálint Varga, and Dóra Vargha

In this conversation with Bence Bari and Orsolya Sudár, editors Ferenc Laczó and Bálint Varga and contributor Dóra Vargha discuss the new volume "Magyarország globális története, 1869-2022 (A [...]

Free Speech, Equality, and Tolerance Are Mutually Reinforcing: A Conversation with Jacob Mchangama

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Jacob Mchangama discusses central ideas of his new monograph "Free Speech: A Global History from Socrates to Social Media". The conversation [...]

Ghostwriting the European Union — In Conversation with Tommaso Pavone

In a conversation with our editor Kasia Krzyżanowska, professor Tommaso Pavone discusses his newly published book The Ghostwriters. Lawyers and the Politics behind the Judicial Construction [...]

Christine Nissen: Danish Euroscepticism has been in decline since Brexit

On the 1st of June Denmark voted to remove its opt-out on EU’s common security and defense cooperation by an unprecedented large margin – 66,9 % yes against 33,1 % no. Kasper Ly Netterstrøm sat [...]

Davide Rodogno on the Troubled History of Western Humanitarianism

In this conversation with guest contributor Nikola Pantić, Davide Rodogno discusses his new book Night on Earth: A History of International Humanitarianism in the Near East, 1918-1930 (Cambridge [...]

How to Avoid Further Escalation? A Conversation with Wolfgang Merkel on the Scholz Government and German Foreign Policy Today

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Wolfgang Merkel talks about German foreign policy, describes key decisions and non-decisions of the new German government and reflects on [...]

Imperialism in Russian Literature

In this conversation with our editor Kasia Krzyżanowska, professor Ewa Thompson discusses the imperialistic features of the Russian Federations; elaborates on how Russian writers advanced the [...]

The State of the Rule of Law in the USA and the EU: In Conversation with Niels Kirst

In this interview for the Rule of Law section, RevDem Editor Oliver Garner converses with Niels Kirst about the state of the Rule of Law in the USA and the EU.

The ‘New Europe’ Campaign: The Failure of Liberal Internationalism and the Resilience of Imperialism

Historians of the Habsburg Empire and the First World War analyze the fascinating story of Robert William Seton-Watson's propaganda for the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the [...]

In Conversation with Eva Fodor: How the Carefare Gender Regime Shapes Hungary

RevDem Editor László Bence Bari in conversation with Éva Fodor, Professor at the Gender Studies and Pro-Rector of the Central European University about her latest book “The Gender Regime of [...]

Brazilian Intellectuals and the French Social Sciences: Ian Merkel on Writing Anti-Diffusionist Intellectual History

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Ian Merkel discusses why Brazil in the 1930s offered such a precious opportunity to innovate in the social sciences; shows the ways in which [...]

Re-establishing the Epistemological Foundations of EU Law: In Conversation with Renáta Uitz

Oliver Garner interviews Renáta Uitz, Co-Director of the CEU Democracy Institute and Co-Editor-in-Chief of RevDem, on the distinct but interconnected roles of the European Parliament and the [...]

The First Revolution Born in Oxford: Simon Kuper on the Tory Elite’s “Betrayal by Mistake”

In conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Simon Kuper – author of the new book "Chums: How a Tiny Caste of Oxford Tories Took Over the UK" – discusses why Oxford University was so crucial [...]

Reflections of a European Man

In conversation with RevDem editor Kasia Krzyżanowska, Stefan Auer discusses his new book European Disunion. Democracy, Sovereignty, and the Politics of Emergency (Hurst&Company 2022). In a [...]

Chamstwo. A Story of the Polish Serfdom: in conversation with Kacper Pobłocki

In a conversation with our editor Kasia Krzyżanowska, Kacper Pobłocki discusses his recent book Chamstwo and reflects on how Polish society was historically based on violence; elaborates on the [...]

Boyd van Dijk on the Making of the Geneva Conventions: The Most Important Rules Ever Formulated for Armed Conflict

In this conversation with Ferenc Laczó, Boyd van Dijk – author of the new monograph "Preparing for War: The Making of the Geneva Conventions" discusses what makes the Geneva Conventions such [...]

Laetitia Strauch-Bonart: Conservatism has little to do with populism

In this discussion with Laetitia Strauch-Bonart hosted by RevDem Editor Michał Matlak, they discuss French President Emmanuel Macron’s ideology; the differences between conservatives and [...]

Interrogating the Fantasy and Impact of Displacement: A Conversation with Lorenzo Veracini on Settler Colonialism as a Political Idea

In this conversation, Lorenzo Veracini reflects on key ideas in his new intellectual history of settler colonialism The World Turned Inside Out. He outlines the transnational coherence of the [...]

Local oil, global finance, and democracies without citizen-creditors: in conversation with Helen Thompson

In conversation with Vera Šćepanović, Helen Thompson explains how concentrating on energy can reshape our understanding of contemporary history, political economy, and transnational finance; [...]

Digital Constitutionalism and Democratic Participation: In Conversation with Moritz Schramm

With the EU moving forward with the new Digital Services Act, in today’s episode of the RevDem Rule of Law podcast, our assistant editor Alexander Lazović sits down with Moritz Schramm to talk [...]

Realist Thought Between Empire-Building and Restraint: Matthew Specter on Why a Flawed Tradition Endures

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Matthew Specter discusses key concepts and tropes in the language of realism; the comparisons across the Atlantic that have defined the [...]

Sarah Shortall on the Counter-politics of Theology

In this conversation with RevDem assistant editor Vilius Kubekas, Sarah Shortall discusses the history of the nouvelle théologie movement in France and brings into focus the political dimension [...]

Gary Gerstle on the Neoliberal Political Order: An Elite Promise of a World of Freedom and Emancipation (Part II)

In part II of this conversation with Gary Gerstle, he discusses opposed moral perspectives and their compatibility with the neoliberal political order; why the neoliberal order used the coercive [...]

What is Christian Democracy? A Book Discussion with Carlo Invernizzi Accetti

In September CEU Democracy Institute and the Review of Democracy held the symposium "The Past and Present of Christian Democracy" where leading scholars discussed the historical significance and [...]

Norms & Narratives in the Constitution of the United Kingdom: In conversation with Nick Barber

In the newest episode of the RevDem Rule of Law podcast, assistant editor Gaurav Mukherjee talks to Nick Barber to discuss democratic backsliding in the UK, the role of courts in protecting [...]

From leisure time to oligarchs: A conversation with Iván Szelényi about his six decades of researching social inequality

In this conversation with RevDem guest contributor Máté Rigó, Iván Szelényi discusses his career as a sociologist in Hungary, Australia, and the United States through the theme of social inequality.

Immediate EU membership for Ukraine? In conversation with Dimitry Kochenov

This interview, conducted by Rule of Law section editor Oliver Garner, considers the feasibility of immediate EU accession for Ukraine with Prof. Dimitry Kochenov, Professor in the CEU Legal [...]

Gary Gerstle on the Neoliberal Political Order: An Elite Promise of a World of Freedom and Emancipation (Part I)

In this conversation with Ferenc Laczó, Gary Gerstle discusses key questions tackled in his new "The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order: America and the World in the Free Market Era." Part I [...]

For a Democracy, It Is Vital to Be Able to Tell Facts Apart

Our editor Robert Nemeth talks to Marius Dragomir and Astrid Söderström, authors of a recent study on the state of state media globally, which covers 546 state media outlets in 151 countries in [...]

Mark R. Beissinger: Revolutions have succeeded more often in our time, but their consequences have become more ambiguous

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Mark R. Beissinger introduces his unique global dataset and probabilistic structural approach to revolution; analyzes the prevalent form of [...]

Criminalizing backsliding judges? In Conversation with Armin von Bogdandy

In March, before the Hungarian elections, our editor Oliver Garner sat down with Professor Armin von Bogdandy. They discussed Professor von Bogdandy’s recent article, published with Luke [...]

Historians and Populism: Regional Perspectives and Entanglements

In light of the recent solidifying of what could be named as ‘populist international’, we are opening a conversation on one of the first areas and people that were targeted: history and [...]

George Soros’ philanthropy is based completely on values: A conversation with Peter Osnos

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Peter Osnos discusses his new edited volume "George Soros: A Life in Full".

Does England Love Coalitions? Party cooperation in the UK [Party Co-Op Series]

As part of the Party Co-Op series, Alan Wager discusses his upcoming work on party alliances in England with the host, Zsolt Enyedi.

In Conversation with Tarunabh Khaitan: Checking the Ascendant Executive in India

India, like many countries, faces democratic backsliding. Our editor Gaurav Mukherjee talks to Tarunabh Khaitan about his recent work on the phenomenon of democratic backsliding in India, the [...]

Wolfgang Streeck: Life is easier if you’re not telling others how to behave

In this conversation, sociologist Wolfgang Streeck discusses the EU and European integration, the future of the EU, and more with RevDem editors Laszlo Bruszt and Michal Matlak.

Joshua L. Cherniss on Liberalism and Ethical Commitment in Dark Times [LONG READ]

In this conversation with RevDem assistant editor Vilius Kubekas, Joshua L. Cherniss discusses the central role ethical commitment played in twentieth-century liberalism.

The War in Ukraine and the Refugee Crisis

Dr. Marta Jaroszewicz elaborates on the current refugee crisis as the result of the war in Ukraine, the situation in the neighbouring countries, and the EU refugee protection.

Latin America: When parties become cartels, people are going to rebel against them [Party Co-Op Series]

In this episode, Zsolt Enyedi and Jennifer McCoy examine party cooperation in Nicaragua, Chile, Venezuela and Colombia. 

Caroline Mezger: Youth and the Politicization of Germanness in Interwar Yugoslavia

A conversation with Caroline Mezger about her book, "Forging Germans: Youth, Nation and the National Socialist Mobilization of Ethnic Germans in Yugoslavia (1918-1944)."

In conversation with Robert Zaretsky: Irresistible Simone Weil 

Simone Weil’s figure poses a challenge to each reader of hers. In this conversation, our editor Kasia Krzyżanowska speaks to prof. Robert Zarestky (professor at the University of Houston), about [...]

Signe Larsen: The Federal Telos of the European Union

In this conversation with our editor, Kasia Krzyżanowska, Dr. Signe Larsen talks about the (largely unacknowledged) nature of the EU as a federation, varieties of constitutionalism within EU [...]

Although the liberal democrats won, the word ‘liberal’ is still not popular in Czechia [Party Co-Op Series]

Zsolt Enyedi in conversation with Krystof Dolezal, political scientist and strategist about party cooperation in Czechia during the 2021 parliamentary elections. They discuss the rationales [...]

In Conversation with Antonia Baraggia: Using Money to Protect the Rule of Law?

In this podcast, Oliver Garner and Antonia Baraggia discuss the judgment on the budget conditionality regulation and conditionality as a constitutional tool. 

Maarten Prak: Democracy in medieval and early-modern towns was stronger than democracy post 1789

In this interview with Maarten Prak, hosted by Karen Culver, they discuss Maarten’s book Citizens without Nations: Urban Citizenship in Europe and the World c. 1000-1789. Maarten comments on how [...]

Dunstan: Black thinkers have contested the principles of democracy in ways that are central to the experience of these democracies

Sarah Dunstan in conversation with Ferenc Laczó talks about her new monograph "Race, Rights and Reform", maps the landscape of Black activist thought across the French Empire and the United [...]

In Conversation with Ana Bobic: Disentangling Primacy and the Rule of Law Crisis

In this podcast, RevDem assistant editor Teodora Miljojkovic interview Dr Ana Bobić on whether primacy and the Rule of Law crisis can be separated. They also discuss the benefits of a theory of [...]

A Stigma of a Latecomer. In Conversation With Dr. Molly Krasnodębska

newest book “Politics of Stigmatization. Poland as a Latecomer in the European Union” (Palgrave Macmillan 2021). The interview touches on the political equality of Member States within the EU, [...]

Martin Krygier: Three Ways Not to Think About the Rule of Law

In this lecture, Martin Krygier discusses three conventional ways of approaching the rule of law, each of which seems to me misconceived and misleading. The first starts in the wrong place. The [...]

The competitive element in competitive authoritarianism is still very pertinent. Dimitar Bechev on Turkey Under Erdogan

Dimitar Bechev in conversation with Ferenc Laczó discusses the current shape of the Turkish political system.

Marlene Laruelle: Russian society is very different from its regime

Andrea Pető in conversation with Marlene Laruelle about illiberalism studies, whether Russia is fascist, the nature of Russia’s illiberalism, as well as its conservative softpower.

Kiran Klaus Patel: The European Union has unexpectedly become too important to ignore

Ferenc Laczó discusses with Kiran Klaus Patel his latest book "Europäische Integration. Geschichte und Gegenwart" (European Integration: History and the Present Day).

In Conversation with Joelle Grogan: Two Years On – COVID-19 and the Rule of Law 

Oliver Garner interviews Dr Joelle Grogan about the legacy of the pandemic for the Rule of Law, democracy, and other constitutional values around the world.

When Christian Democratic Youth Read Herbert Marcuse

In this conversation conducted by Vilius Kubekas, Anna von der Goltz discusses her recent book The Other ‘68ers: Student Protest and Christian Democracy in West Germany.

Hungary two months before the elections – can the opposition win? Zsolt Enyedi in conversation with Daniel Rona [Party Co-Op Series]

Zsolt Enyedi discusses with Daniel Rona, director of the 21 research center the key questions related to the cooperation between the opposition parties before the April elections. 

Suzanne Schneider: How the Apocalypticism of the Islamic State Reflects Global Transformations 

Suzanne Schneider discusses the modernity of new forms of jihad; shows how the Islamic State’s organizational structure, understanding of the law, and spectacular violence reflect broader [...]

Michael Ignatieff: Liberalism has been weakened by its bloodless cosmopolitanism

Michał Matlak speaks with Michael Ignatieff about his recent book On Consolation: Finding Solace in Dark Times, the role of religion in the modern world, whether conservative liberalism is [...]

In conversation with Tom Theuns: An EU 2.0? Mass Withdrawal of Pro-Democratic Member States

Oliver Garner interviews Tom Theuns about the possibility and justification of a mass-exodus of democratically minded Member States via Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union and the founding [...]

Stefano Bottoni: How a Child of Kádár’s Time Built a Post-democratic Autocracy [Part 2]

Luka Lisjak Gabrijelčič in conversation with Stefano Bottoni, author of a recent Italian-language book about Viktor Orbán.

Montás: Why liberal education is the bedrock of modern-day democracy

In this conversation, hosted by RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Roosevelt Montás discusses his recent book "Rescuing Socrates: How the Great Books Changed My Life and Why They Matter for a New Generation".

Stefano Bottoni: How a Child of Kádár’s Time Built a Post-democratic Autocracy [Part 1]

Luka Lisjak Gabrijelčič in conversation with Stefano Bottoni, author of a recent Italian-language book about Viktor Orbán.

The Rise of the EU Marked the End of the Universal Welfare State. Varela on People’s Histories

In this interview, Agnė Rimkutė discusses with Raquel Varela the importance of seeing the working classes as actors in the historical process and the implications of people’s history for our [...]

Feinberg: De-Pathologizing the Recent History of Eastern Europe

Melissa Feinberg in a conversation with Ferenc Laczo on Her New Textbook Communism in Eastern Europe

Dirk Moses on the Diplomacy of Genocide and the Sinister Ambition of Permanent Security [Part II]

Dirk Moses in the second part of his conversation with Ferenc Laczo on the diplomacy of genocide and the deeply sinister ambitions of permanent security

2021’s End of Year Special

Our editors Laszlo Bruszt, Oliver Garner, Kasia Krzyżanowska, Ferenc Laczo, and Michal Matlak discuss their favorite RevDem content, as well as the year's highlights and the most significant [...]

The Problems of Genocide: Dirk Moses on the Language of Transgression and the Genocide Convention in Context

Dirk Moses in conversation with Ferenc Laczo on his last book "The Problems of Genocide. Permanent Security and the Language of Transgression".

Future of Europe: It’s Not about Treaty Change, It’s about European Democracy

Michal Matlak interviews Alberto Alemanno in the aftermath of the publication of the first batch of recommendations coming from the Conference on the Future of Europe Citizens’ Panel. This [...]

Marius Turda: The idea of race across centuries and our current moment of reckoning

Marius Turda in conversation with Ferenc Laczo about A Cultural History of Race.

Richard Youngs on the Resilience of Democracy

Richard Youngs in conversation with Michal Matlak about citizens’ attitudes towards democracy, transformative power of protests movements, citizens’ assemblies as well as democratic innovations [...]

Laszlo Bruszt: The EU confederal regime weakens vulnerable member states

In this interview Laszlo Bruszt, Co-Director of the CEU Democracy Institute and Editor-in-Chief of RevDem, explains the inspiration behind the CEU Democracy Institute and RevDem, how East-West [...]

In conversation with Barbara Grabowska-Moroz: The escalation of Poland’s Rule of Law crisis

Barbara Grabowska-Moroz discusses the current state of the rule of law crisis in Poland, the arduous relationship between the EU and Polish courts, and how this impacts EU Member States.

Emily Greble: European History via the Experience of Muslims

Emily Greble in conversation with Ferenc Laczo discusses what foregrounding Muslims’ agency implies for the writing of European history; what were key legacies of the Ottoman Empire and how [...]

Linking sexual diversity to otherness is an old phenomenon 

Bence Bari interviews Tamás Dombos, the representative of the Hungarian LGBTQI organization ‘Háttér Society’ concerning the recently adopted Hungarian anti-LGBT measures, their transnational and [...]

Julie Smith: Brexit negotiations have been damaging for both sides

Michal Matlak interviewed Professor Julie Smith, Baroness of Newnham, who is a Liberal Democrat parliamentarian in the British House of Lords. They discuss referendums, the causes and outcomes of [...]

Emily Levine on the Hard Compromises behind Academic Innovation

In conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Emily Levine (Stanford University) discusses key ideas in her new book "Allies and Rivals: German-American Exchange and the Rise of the Modern [...]

The Price of Optimism. A Conversation with Geert Mak about Europe in Our Times

In this wide-ranging conversation occasioned by the release of his The Dream of Europe. Travels in the Twenty-First Century, Geert Mak discusses why he chose to write a sequel to "In [...]

Democracy’s Least Appreciated Strength Is Its Ability to Reform Itself – Dean Starkman on The Pandora Papers

In conversation with RevDem editor Robert Nemeth, Dean Starkman, senior editor at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, talks about the Pandora Papers and how tax avoidance [...]

Márki-Zay would be a Never Trump Republican in America

In this conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczó, Gábor Tóka talks about the Fall 2021 Hungarian opposition primaries

Zsolt Enyedi: Is it still possible to win an election in Hungary, if you’re not Viktor Orbán?

Michal Matlak interviews Zsolt Enyedi about the development of Church-State relations in Hungary, Viktor Orban’s vision of Christian Democracy, why the Democracy Institute plays an important [...]

Lea Ypi: Ideas of freedom across a historical rupture

Lea Ypi in conversation with Ferenc Laczo about her new memoir "Free: Coming of Age at the End of History" and how the people who populate its pages help her connect historical experiences with [...]

“History as Democracy”: Interview with László Kontler

In this podcast, our assistant editor Bence Bari interviews László Kontler, the research affiliate of the CEU Democracy Institute’s History workgroup project, titled “History as Democracy.”

The Chancellor. A conversation with Kati Marton about Angela Merkel

Ferenc Laczó in conversation with Kati Marton about her biography of Angela Merkel. The conversation focuses on Kati Marton’s motivation to paint a human portrait of Angela Merkel, on Merkel’s [...]

Thinking like Hannah Arendt

Our editor Kasia Krzyżanowska (EUI, CEU) talks with Samantha Rose Hill, professor at the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research, about her recently published biography of Hannah Arendt. 

Annie Ernaux and History

“More often than not, we get the sense that events are unfolding in the background, often detached from individuals, and that yet they will somehow influence individual lives” says Dr Elise [...]

Ruling by Cheating? In Conversation with András Sajó

Our assistant editor Teodora Miljojković (CEU) talks with András Sajó, Professor in the Law Department of Central European University and former judge of the European Court of Human Rights about [...]

Aldo Madariaga: Neoliberalism is not a solution for democracy

Aldo Madariaga discusses his latest book “Neoliberal Resilience: Lessons in Democracy and Development from Latin America and Eastern Europe” with our editor, Giancarlo Grignaschi.

An Authoritarian Liberal Europe? In Conversation with Michael Wilkinson

Oliver Garner interviews the author on his book ‘Authoritarian Liberalism and the Transformation of Modern Europe’

Invernizzi Accetti: Christian Democracy That Can Counter Right-Wing Populists

Vilius Kubekas in conversation. with the author of the book "What is Christian Democracy? Politics, Religion and Ideology".

Krygier: Institutionalizing and Deinstitutionalizing the Rule of Law

Martin Krygier on how to understand the rule of law crisis from a teleological perspective.

Will the EU survive the rise of democratorships within? Karolewski and Leggewie on the new quality of politics in the Visegrád states

Ireneusz Paweł Karolewski on the new quality of politics in the Visegrád states.

The West’s Strategic Mistakes and Broken Resolve. Jonathan Holslag on World Politics Since 1989

Our editor Ferenc Laczo interviews Jonathan Hoslag (Free University Brussels) on his book "World Politics Since 1989" (Polity Press).

LaTosha Brown: Culture will eat strategy for breakfast

RevDem editor Ferenc Laczo interviews LaTosha Brown, co-founder of the voting rights group Black Voters Matter.

The Rule of Law – A Courtroom Drama: A conversation with Laurent Pech

Our editor Oliver Garner discusses with Laurent Pech the ongoing tensions between Poland and the Court of Justice of the EU.

Talisse: To Be a Democratic Citizen

Katarzyna Krzyżanowska talks with Robert Talisse, W. Alton Jones Professor of Philosophy at the Vanderbilt University in Nashville, on epistemology of democracy.

Konrad Jarausch on Realistic Progress

RevDem editor Ferenc Laczo interviewed historian Konrad H. Jarausch, Lurcy Professor of European Civilization at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, about his latest book Embattled [...]

Samuel Moyn on the US’ Attempt to Humanise its Imperial Burden

Ferenc Laczo in conversation with Samuel Moyn (Yale University) about his book "Humane. How the United States Abandoned Peace and Reinvented War".

A Not Wasted Life. Conversation with Zygmunt Bauman’s biographer Artur Domosławski

Artur Domoslawski, the author of a monumental Zygmunt Bauman’s biography in conversation with our managing editor, Michał Matlak

Rising Inequality in Egalitarian Societies

In conversation with our editor Ferenc Laczo, Mitchell Orenstein, Professor of Russian and East European Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, discusses post-communist transitions.

Cuban Spring in the Summer? Elaine Acosta on the Cuban protest

Stefano Palestini speaks with Cuban sociologist Elaine Acosta about the meaning and causes of the popular uprising against the Cuban government

Contesting German Memory Culture. A Conversation with Jennifer Evans on the Catechism Debate

Ferenc Laczo talks with Jennifer Evans (Carleton University) about the new Holocaust memory debate.

Can Technology Save Democracy?

How can we employ technology to facilitate the democratic process? Which platforms are more democratic than others? These and more questions are answered by Kevin Esterling, Professor of [...]

Statelessness and the Global Political Order. A Conversation with Mira Siegelberg

Ferenc Laczo discusses with Mira Siegelberg her latest book "Statelessness", the story of a much-contested legal category.

Future of Europe: What is not forbidden is allowed. RevDem Interview with Guy Verhofstadt

Last week three RevDem editors interviewed Guy Verhofstadt, co-chair of the Conference on the Future of Europe. Today we are publishing the edited transcript of this conversation.

Owning the Constitution: Chile’s Unexpected Civil Revolution

On 4 July 2021, Chile's "unexpected" Constitutional Convention commenced following a grassroots civil revolution against the current regime since 2019. Co-Head of Section for Cross-Regional [...]

Corrective power of the populists

Do populists pose a threat to constitutional democracy? Are populists always the villains in our tales about democracy? Bojan Bugarič answers these questions in a conversation with Kasia [...]

What Are the Sources of Democratic Legitimacy? Till van Rahden on Democracy as a Way of Life

Elias Buchetmann talks to Till van Rahden about his latest book Demoracy: A Fragile Way of Life, which focuses on the history of democracy in the Federal Republic of Germany and raises [...]

How the U.S. decided to lead the world. Wertheim on the transformation of American internationalism

Ferenc Laczó spoke to Stephen Wertheim about his new book, Tomorrow, the World: The Birth of US Global Diplomacy. The book explores the moment in which the US decided to lead the post-war world.

“I Won’t Remain Silent”: Interview on Human Rights Activism in Hungary

In an interview with Bence Bari, Vera Mérő, Hungarian journalist, media researcher and human rights activist, discusses the questions of representation, popularization, internal conflicts and [...]

Populism and Antipopulism: Beyond the Post-1989 Paradigm

Petr Agha, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Copenhagen in the iCourts Centre of Excellence for International Courts of the University of Copenhagen, discusses the clash between [...]

Rule of Law is not like IKEA furniture

What is the societal dimension of the rule of law? How can we improve democracy on the European Union level? Is there a place for citizens engagement in design of the Conference on the Future of [...]

“The Future Cannot be Stopped”: Interview on Feminism in Hungary

In an interview with our assistant editor Bence Bari, Lili Rutai, Hungarian feminist journalist and podcaster, co-founder and co-host of the popular podcast series "Vénusz Projekt," discusses the [...]

A limited and cautious democracy. Interview with Martin Conway

Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins and Ferenc Laczo discuss with Martin Conway his latest book "Western Europe’s Democratic Age,1945-1968". You can listen to the podcast or read the edited transcript below.

Remaking politics in response to the assault on natural world

RevDem Editor Ferenc Laczo is discussing the book "Planet on Fire. A Manifesto for the Age of Environmental Breakdown" by Mathew Lawrence and Laurie Laybourn-Langton with its authors.

The New Logic of Democratic Politics [Podcast and Interview]

Our editor Ferenc Ferenc Laczó talks with Chris Bickerton about his latest book Technopopulism.

Citizens as Masters of the EU Treaties [Interview and Podcast]

Who are really the masters of the EU treaties and where does constituent power in the European Union lie — Markus Patberg, interviewed by Kasia Krzyżanowska, offers his answers to these questions.

It’s not only about the rule of law: Poland and Hungary in the EU [Podcast and Interview]

The EU rule of law framework is not the best way to check compliance with the EU’s basic values, says Gábor Halmai in a conversation with RevDem’s assistant editor Teodora Miljojković.

There is still hope. Interview with Adam Bodnar, Polish Ombudsman

On April 21, Review of Democracy and CEU Democracy Institute hosted Adam Bodnar, Polish Ombudsman.

Ernst Fraenkel – a Jewish lawyer who resisted the Nazis

Kasia Krzyżanowska talks to Douglas G. Morris, a legal historian and practicing criminal defense attorney with Federal Defenders of New York, about his newest book on Ernst Fraenkel.

Stasavage: Democracy requires continuous effort (PODCAST AND LONG READ)

David Stasavage (New York University) in conversation with RevDem editor Ferenc Laczo (Maastricht University) about his recent book “The Decline and Rise of Democracy”, which presents the global [...]

Sustainable Democracy after 25 years. Conversation with Adam Przeworski

Our editor-in-chief Laszlo Bruszt asks Adam Przeworski about the contemporary relevance of "Sustainable democracy", a seminal book published 25 years ago.

Fascism to Populism and Back Again? [PODCAST AND LONG READ]

RevDem editor Ferenc Laczo (Maastricht University) talks with Federico Finchelstein (New School for Social Research, New York) about his two recent books: “From Fascism to Populism in History” [...]

We cannot analytically divide reason from emotion

In the second part of the conversation, Jan-Werner Müller interviewed by Luka Lisjak Gabrijelčič talks about populism and employment of emotions, and on bipartisanship and political conflict.

Vaccination passports – the way to go?

In the newest episode of the RevDem podcast Giancarlo Grignaschi interviews Luiza Bialasiewicz  (University of Amsterdam) and Prof. Oskar Josef Gstrein (University of Groningen). They discussed [...]

Myanmar After the Coup

In a conversation with Assistant Editor Gaurav Mukherjee, Melissa Crouch discusses the rapidly evolving situation involving the military coup in Myanmar on 1 February 2021. 

Academic Freedom and the Rule of Law

In the latest RevDem Rule of Law podcast, Oliver Garner interviews Professor Nandini Ramanujam, Full Professor (Professional) at the Faculty of Law of McGill University and the Co-Director of the [...]

Far-right Demonstrations — They Are Not Going Anywhere

Michael Zeller, in a conversation with Kasia Krzyżanowska, talks about far-right mobilization campaigns and the processes of their de-mobilization. 

For what does democracy need political parties?

Jan-Werner Müller, in an interview with Luka Lisjak Gabrijelčič, talks about the functions of contemporary political parties, the role of the constitutional courts and the future of European [...]

Adding Bite to the Member States’ Rule of Law Bark?

Oliver Garner interviews Professor Dimitry Kochenov on the prospects for Member State to Member State infringement actions to enforce the Rule of Law in the EU. 

We’ve Gotten the Ogre Out of the Way

Samuel Moyn in an interview with RevDem editor Katarzyna Nowicka talks about the legacy of Donald Trump and the presidency of Joe Biden.

Enemies at the Liberal Democratic Gates

Is America living in the shadow of the post-Cold War liberalism? Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins argues that some liberal intellectuals are still looking for an enemy who can give a cause to their [...]

Rule of Law Conditionality: The Sharpest New Tool in the Box?

In an interview with Oliver Garner, Professor Petra Bard argues that the new Regulation on budget conditionality could strengthen the EU’s enforcement prong in response to Rule of Law violations.  

Conference on the Future of Europe: Process more important than outcome

Conference on the Future of Europe: The process is more important than the outcome. Interview with Alberto Alemanno, Jean Monnet Professor in European Union Law & Policy at the HEC in Paris.

RevDem Podcast with Alberto Alemanno on the Future of Europe

The RevDem, an online journal of the CEU Democracy Institute, presents a podcast interview with Professor Alberto Alemanno (HEC, Paris) and the founder of Good Lobby about the upcoming Conference [...]