EUROPEAN BOOK CLUB – The Blindsided: How Berlin and Paris Cleared the Way for Russia
EUROPEAN BOOK CLUB
June 6th, from 6 pm to 8 pm
Center for Liberal Modernity
Reinhardtstraße 15, 10117 Berlin.
Dear Sir or Madam,
ideas matter! That is why the Center for Liberal Modernity launched a new format: the European Book Club. Throughout the year, we will have the pleasure of inviting you to discussions with international intellectuals about their newest books.
The next discussion will take place on the 6th of June and will be devoted to the book “The Blindsided: How Berlin and Paris Cleared the Way for Russia” (Stock, 2023) by Sylvie Kauffmann. Sylvie Kauffmann is a French journalist, specializing in foreign affairs. Sylvie Kauffmann is a journalist at Le Monde, where she was editor-in-chief and writes a weekly column on geopolitics. She was a contributor to the New York Times and writes regularly for the opinion pages of the Financial Times.
France and Germany’s approaches to Vladimir Putin have been severely criticized for being misguided and detached from reality. Germany, in particular, developed significant reliance on Russian energy supplies, a strategic move that ultimately backfired as Moscow exploited and weaponized this dependency to its advantage. On February 24, 2022, Putin’s invasion of Ukraine shattered the European order. Then came the questions: why did we get it so wrong? What signals did we ignore?
Sylvie Kauffman’s book delves into the testimonies of key figures, exploring pivotal moments spanning twenty years that led to a failure to recognize the true nature of Putin’s Russia. This includes the American retreat from global leadership, Germany’s historical baggage and economic interests blinding its judgment, the disregard for the perspectives of Eastern European democracies, and the persistence of outdated pro-Russia sentiments among certain French elites.
The author will be joined by Jörg Lau, international correspondent and former Foreign Editor of the German weekly DIE ZEIT. After introductory remarks from Ralf Fücks, the CEO of the Center for Liberal Modernity, Jarosław Kuisz, the Program Director and a Senior Fellow at the Center for Liberal Modernity, will moderate the discussion.
For a Sneak Peek into the book, listen to the Podcast with Sylvie Kauffmann and Timothy Garton Ash.
We cordially invite you to join us in unraveling the intricacies and shortcomings of the key players in Paris, Berlin, and Brussels, in understanding what drove them, and in exploring whether there was another way and what lessons can be learned.
We kindly ask you to register by June 4th via the Sign-Up button. If you have any queries, please contact christina.russmann@libmod.de
We look forward to seeing you!
Sincerely,
Ralf Fücks
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