Gudrun Steinacker, Vicepresident of the Southeast Europe Association SOG, on the Panel “Countering Authoritarianism”, at the Conference “Defending Democracy and Human Rights”, on December 12, 2024 Skopje.
I’m very grateful to be invited to this conference. It is good to be back in your country although I had the opportunity to be few times here since I left as germen Ambassador in Skopje in 2014.
I met Xhabir Deralla, the founder of CIVIL, shortly after my arrival in Skopje in 2011. And I learned to appreciate the work of CIVIL during my three years in the country as one of the best organizations in the field of enhancing Civil society, protecting human rights and promoting a free society. I particularly appreciate the very clear position CIVIL took from the beginning regarding the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, may be the greatest danger right now for out part of the words. Green CIVIL is addressing the other most imminent danger with a worldwide effect: climate change. Both challenges as well as so many others are used by the intensive hybrid warfare from Russia and its allies.
Authoritarianism is indeed an overarching danger for the so-called free world now ever more than before. The definition of authoritarianism according to the Oxford dictionary is the enforcement or advocacy of strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom and lack of concern for the wishes or opinions of others. If I this is the definitions, I wonder why people around the world and recently in many European countries vote for persons and parties which are clearly in favour of authoritarianism. This as warning signal, which we should take very seriously.
In these extremely difficult times with its multiple crisis, many people are afraid and intimidated. They understand that huge changes are taking place, but do not know how to react to them. It is the choice of each individual, groups, people to respond to these challenges. But politicians and intellectuals should play a leading role in these responses, according to their responsibility. But often the opposite is happening. The political, economic and so-called intellectual elites are rather misusing their influence to even more intimidate the citizen. They are rather looking for their personal or group interests and they are looking also for authoritarian solutions. Hypocrisy is a widespread phenomenon in international politics. This has a huge impact on ordinary voters because they see the failure of the ruling elites and ask for alternatives. This must be discussed and tackled wherever possible.
I do not know a solution either, but I know that Freedom is crucial. Solutions can only be found by free persons in a free society with free media and a free discourse with a functioning jurisdiction. This would be in accordance with the thoughts of one the greatest Germans, the philosopher Immanuel Kant whose 300th anniversary was celebrated this year. This is not the place to discuss about Kants philosophy. Many books about him and his philosophy were published this year. He is not easy to read, not only because of his complex thinking. But in view of the complex problems that mankind must resolve now to refer to Kant could be helpful.
I’m refering here to one of his most known thesis : Die Menschenwürde ist ein Status, der das Leben von Menschen über jeden Preis stellt. Alle Menschen haben ungeachtet ihres Rangs oder ihrer sozialen Klasse den gleichen inneren Wert oder die gleiche Würde. Human dignity is a status which puts the life a of men above any prize. All human beings irrespective of their position or social class possess the same inner value and the same dignity.
This became the first chapter oft he German Fundamental Law in 1949: “Die Würde des Menschen ist unantastbar. Sie zu schützen ist Verpflichtung aller staatlichen Gewalt.“ Human dignity is inviolable. Protecting it is an obligation of all state power.
I’m proud that the founding father and few mothers of the German Fundamental law after the Second world war and the darkest period in German history with the Nazi barbarism took this Kant principle as the first chapter of this German constitution. And it also became the first chapter of the EU-Charter of fundamental rights: Human dignity is inviolable. It must be respected and protected.
Looking at the definition of authoritarianism which I mentioned before it is very clear that the authoritarian state can never be the solution. I think we must take the worries, fears and anger of people these days seriously. The problems we are facing are extremely complex and therefore there can be no simple solution. It is the task of politicians, intellectuals but also the business elite to explain to the ordinary people that solutions will be difficult and painful. For me there is no question that those who are richer and stronger must shoulder the heavier part of the burden
The supporters of authoritarianism promise easy solutions, but in fact these solutions will only lead to more problems and more injustice. The promise of easy solutions for complex problems is a lie. And we have to say this every day everywhere.
We have to say and prove every day that the human dignity is inviolable. This is what the Israeli philosopher Omri Böhm said in Vienna in May this year at the opening of the Vienna Spring Festival, defending his radical universalism beyond identity.
Camera: Atanas Petrovski/Igor Chadinovski
Editing: Arian Mehmeti
Photo: Robert Atanasovski
CONFERENCE, FULL VIDEO, Streamed live on December 12, 2024:
https://youtube.com/live/1f2Eo1ZXEQ0
PHOTO ARCHIVES: #DefendingDemocracy, Panel 1: Democracy under Siege
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#DefendingDemocracy, Panel 2: The Rise of Far-Right Nationalism
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#DefendingDemocrcy Panel 3: Countering Authoritarianism
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#DefendingDemocracy conference, Panel 4: Commitment to democracy
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#DefendingDemocracy Conference (overall)
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#DefendingDemocracy – workshop and meeting with the press
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#DefendingDemocracy PRESS CONFERENCE
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