A Talk by Michael Ignatieff: What if Democracy’s Greatest Enemy is Democracy Itself?

March 27, 2024
Democracy is a “promiscuous legitimizer”: it is used to legitimize frankly authoritarian regimes, majoritarian democracies and liberal democracies alike. Democracy itself is an ongoing argument about what is and is not democratic. So when people say ‘democracy is on the ballot’ in the 2024 election, what democracy are they talking about? Democracy’s promiscuous and partisan overuse is giving democracy a bad name, and authoritarian challengers are exploiting this disarray to their advantage.
This event is part of the What the rise of authoritarian middle powers means for global politics workshop.
Speaker:
Michael Ignatieff is Rector Emeritus of Central European University, professor of history, and a former politician. He is the author of 18 books, the latest being On Consolation: Finding Solace in Dark Times (2021).
Chair:
Marie-Eve Desrosiers - Chairholder of the International Francophonie Research Chair in Political Aspirations and Movements in Francophone Africa, and Associate Professor, GSPIA, University of Ottawa.
Moderator:
Nic Cheeseman - Professor of Democracy, International Development Department, University of Birmingham.
www.cips-cepi.ca/event/a-talk...