The Ticking Clock for
Georgia’s European Future

It is her own personal story that gives hope: Israeli Tzipi Diskind was born in Jerusalem and is a member of the ultra-religious Haredim. According to the mother of four, her religious community could play a special mediating role in the conflict with the Pales­tinians. After all, they have a lot in common with religious Muslims, she says. Empathy and trust, above all, are needed so that dialog between Israelis and Pales­tinians can succeed, as Tzipi Diskind writes. She believes in a peaceful solution to the conflict — despite the extremely difficult political situation. 

Samer Abdel­razzak Sinijlawi grew up during the first intifada. He was imprisoned as a teenager. It was in prison that he got to know the other, the Israeli view of the conflict. Despite the current political situation, he believes in a peaceful solution between Israelis and Pales­tinians — with the help of a dialog based on trust and mutual empathy. The West can also contribute, he says.

When the Center for Liberal Modernity was founded in 2017, the “illiberal counter­rev­o­lution” (Timothy Garton Ash) was already in full swing. But the force with which autocratic and illiberal currents have since picked up speed exceeds our fears. Our inter­na­tional conference “Rethinking Liber­alism — Challenges to Liber­alism in Turbulent Times” took place just days before Trump’s second inaugu­ration, in the third year of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and overshadowed by the electoral successes of right-wing populists across of Europe. 

Ukraine’s membership bid taken on real momentum since the country applied for EU membership in the early days of the full-scale invasion. Though Ukraine’s track record is generally positive, the devil is in the details. Difficult reforms, especially in the judiciary, require the attention and support of the EU and its member states.

The Center for Liberal Modernity cordially invites you to the inter­na­tional conference “Ukraine and Us. Where do we go from here?” in Berlin on 21 March, 2025.

Georgia’s democracy is on the brink of collapse following the fraud­ulent parlia­mentary elections in October 2024 and the violent crackdown by the ruling regime under the Georgian Dream party. In his policy brief, Sergi Kapanadze analyses how the country’s pro-European course has been derailed by systematic election manip­u­lation and repression. His analysis includes concrete recom­men­da­tions for the inter­na­tional community and a call to act now.

The EU accession country Moldova continues to face major security and economic challenges. Our expert, Natalia Stercul, APE, analyses the obstacles on Moldova’s path to Europe, as well as the political situation after the refer­endum and the presi­dential elections. She also warns of Russia’s increasing influence in the upcoming parlia­mentary elections in 2025, as the result of the parlia­mentary elections would have a signif­icant impact on the country’s EU integration.

The future of Europe is at stake in the face of Russian aggression. Germany and Poland should undertake a joint effort for a new European Russia policy, finding common ground despite their entrenched differ­ences. A new start can arise from shared insight and interests, if there is political will.

Populism is on the rise. What does that mean not only for the state of our liberal societies but also for the economy? Is economic growth thinkable under non-democ­ratic rule? Joost Haddinga explores the inter­change of the two. He is awarded first prize for his contri­bution to our essay compe­tition organized by WirtschaftsWoche and Center for Liberal Modernity.