- October 26, 2017
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- September 23, 2023
Just four weeks after the German national election, on October 26, 2017, the Aspen Institute Germany hosted its fourth annual Transatlantic Conference. The conference participants looked at the state and future of the liberal order and discussed what role Germany is able and willing to play. Brexit and the election of Donald Trump are signs of underlying tectonic shifts in Western societies and give rise to the question of the very existence of the post-war liberal order. While countries like Russia and China have long been dissatisfied with a system that they see as dominated by Western powers, other challenges have emerged from within Western societies. In this situation, high hopes have been placed on German leadership, and Chancellor Merkel has even been celebrated as the new leader of the free world. The program consisted of intro-statements, panel discussions, and a concluding statement. In addition, we presented worst and best-case scenarios of the future of the liberal order, which were developed during an Aspen scenario workshop in May 2017.
