What’s the state of democracy today?

On the eve of the British election, Professor Peter Sloterdjik – world renowned German philosopher and political intellectual – gave a keynote lecture on the state of democracy at a Cardiff University event.

Opening a major European conference in International Relations at the University, Professor Sloterdjik addressed the rise of populism and its challenge to democracy.

One of Germany’s most prominent philosophers, Sloterdjik is known for taking on controversial subjects and has been a major voice in the debates on genetics, migration and the far right.

‘New Frontiers in International Relations’

In his lecture, he argued that much of the contemporary resistance to the political elite is the outcome of democracy becoming merely a pseudonym for current political rule. He offered a major new interpretation for the rise of populist parties and the changing party landscape.

The event was the start of the three-day European Workshops of International Studies event, themed ‘New Frontiers in International Relations’, hosted by Cardiff University’s School of Law and Politics.

Dr Christian Bueger, Reader in the School of Law and Politics and one of the organisers of the event, said: “Cardiff University is one of the intellectual capitals of international studies in the UK...”

350 participants from across Europe attended the conference which took place for the first time in the UK.

The conference was co-sponsored by the Learned Society of Wales, the European Journal of International Security and the journal New Perspectives.