Debate on the US Presidential Election
2024-11-18
The US presidential election on 6 November 2024 is not only of paramount importance for the national interests of the United States. It will also set the course for the (further) development of the international order, for Europe's role in the world, and for issues as important as multilateralism and global security.
Against this background, we were keen to put the results of this election into perspective with the help of recognised experts in the field. To this end, Ms Kerstin Kohlenberg and Prof. Dr Astrid Séville met on the evening of 18 November for an exciting and highly informative dialogue. Ms Kohlenberg is a journalist for DIE ZEIT, former Washington D.C. correspondent, and author of the 2024 book 'Das amerikanische Versprechen' (link). Prof. Dr. Séville is Professor of Political Science, in particular Political Theory (link) at the Leuphana University Lüneburg.
In their debate, the two panellists focused primarily on the domestic reasons for the outcome of this election, addressing the internal divisions in US society and placing the events in the wider context of recent US history. Ms Kohlenberg's insights from her work as a correspondent and from her book served as a starting point for behind-the-scenes insights, allowing the audience to look deep into the soul of American society, its problems, and the reasons for the sometimes widely divergent world views, values, and political positions of the different social classes within the country.
We would like to thank Ms Kohlenberg and Professor Dr. Séville for their participation in this event and for allowing us to be part of their fascinating exchange of ideas. We would also like to thank Ms Klara Westerlage (link), a doctoral student at the Joachim Herz Doctoral School of Law, for introducing us to this event.
