“Talking to right-wing populists does not mean talking like right-wing populists”: This was emphasized by political scientist Jan-Werner Müller from Princeton University on Tuesday evening in the Paulskirche. Müller gave a lecture at the opening event of the “Democratic Cohesion” conference at Goethe University. It dealt with the question of what form of cohesion is characteristic and desirable for a democracy.
According to Müller, a dialog with right-wing populists must be based on facts. Another prerequisite for a constructive exchange is that the participants do not deny that they belong to the same people or nation. The opposite can be observed in the United States: Political opponents there are increasingly being defamed as “un-American”. This is “highly dangerous” for the cohesion of a society. With regard to Germany, Müller notes that polarization has not yet reached this level.
The “Democratic Cohesion” conference was organized by the Leibniz Institute for Peace and Conflict Research and Goethe University’s Research Centre Normative Orders and financed by state funds. Between 2025 and 2028, the state will provide up to three million euros annually for this purpose. For Science Minister Timon Gremmels (SPD), the programme helps to “make democracy resilient against extremism, polarization and populist hostility”.
Rainer Forst, Director of the Research Center Normative Orders, said on the occasion of the event “that it is time to determine more precisely which idea of democracy should guide the call for cohesion, because that is precisely what is currently controversial”. It is important to clarify what should be the subject of dispute and what should not be put up for discussion because it is one of the basic principles of democratic coexistence. kaih.
From the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung of February 13, 2025, No. 37, Rhein-Main-Zeitung, p. 4 © All rights reserved. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung GmbH, Frankfurt. Provided by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Archive