Authoritarian Constitutionalism A Lecture by Günter Frankenberg

Were the twentieth century to be remembered as the century of human rights, then its successor, one might think, could be marked by the breakthrough of liberal democracy. Both eras of brightness come with dark shadows, though. While organized violence, massacres and torture blemish the twentieth century, authoritarianism seems to be well on its way – or making a comeback – to become the nightmare of the twenty-first. By now quantitative analysts count more authoritarian than democratic constitutions. No ultimate triumph of liberalism then, and certainly no end of history – but further struggle between the ‘gentle’ authority of democracy and the brutish, patriarchal forces of authoritarianism.

Speaker: Günter Frankenberg, Chair Professor of Public Law, Legal Philosophy and Comparative Law (Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt/Main)

Introduction: Alexandra Nolan, President of ELA

Moderator: Fernanda Nicola, (AU WCL), Program on International Organizations Law & Diplomacy