Source: College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
On April 2, 2019, UFIC hosted a discussion about the western liberal democratic world order put in place at the end of WWII based on strong transatlantic alliances among nations aspiring to be politically free and economically prosperous and interconnected by these values rather than continuously separated and traumatized by the ravages of war (as had been the case in Europe for centuries). The United Nations, NATO, and the European Union all grew out of and are connected in different ways to these shared aspirations.
The Fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 was generally seen as an affirmation of liberal democratic values and their associated political and economic aspirations. Yet with the upcoming 30th anniversary of the Fall of the Wall on November 9, 2019, these values and aspirations seem to be in question as perhaps never before since WWII.
Against this backdrop, hopes and fears along with the associated possibilities and dangers of the current moment will be discussed in this Open Forum Discussion with questions and comments invited from all participants.
Topics discussed included the future of the United Nations, the EU, NATO, transatlantic relationships, possible futures of warfare (cyber, space), historic topics, post-Cold-War era (i.e. post Fall of the Wall), counter terrorism, migration and immigration, defense policy, etc.
Supported by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, the University of Florida International Center, and the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures.