The New World Disorder: The Battle for Values, Identity, and Engagement

The international system is experiencing a profound transition. The post-World War II / post-Cold War norms-based international order is facing existential challenges. These stem both from within liberal democracies, which are facing a multifaceted identity crisis of their own, and from authoritarian states and 'bad actors' exploiting the weaknesses of the system. The long-term strategies of Putin's Russia and Xi's China have created a New Cold War with the West.
The hearts and minds of citizens, young people in particular, in some ways constitute the frontline of this new hybrid war. In order to understand what prospects, threats and opportunities exist for liberal democracy and for global security, we need to understand the drivers of, and barriers to, civic and global engagement. And in order to do that, we have to return to the question of values: it is values that motivate us to listen and to take individual and collective action, and it is contrasting assessments of values' relative importance that create deep polarizations and conflicts.
As we move towards a multipolar world, we have to start to think of the institutions of global governance and global citizenship that would ensure that this world is free, fair and peaceful. 

In this talk, Dr. Gerodimos will cover both his recent work (the Deterrence project and the New Cold War with Russia, and a current investigation on China's global expansion) as well as an overview and reflections on two decades of research on civic engagement, and what emerging patterns could mean for the future.

Dr Roman Gerodimos is Professor of Global Current Affairs at the Faculty of Media and Communication, and a faculty member at the Salzburg Academy on Media & Global Change.

Roman's background is in political science and international studies. He holds an MSc in European Politics & Policy (LSE) and a PhD in Political Communication (Bournemouth). He is the winner of the Arthur McDougall Prize awarded by the Political Studies Association for his research on online youth civic engagement.

Roman is an interdisciplinary thinker, educator, writer and filmmaker whose work spans politics, sociology, international relations, psychology, urban and communication studies, focusing on the ways in which 21st century citizens engage with the self, with the urban landscape, with others around them, and with the world at large.
He recently completed a project on shame and violence funded by the ISRF, a report on the refugee crisis for Greek think-tank Dianeosis, and produced Deterrence a feature-length documentary on European security and deterrence funded by NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division. He previously led or worked on projects funded by the UK Department for International Development, the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the US Embassy in London.
He has written, directed and produced several short and documentary films: At the Edge of the Present (2015), A Certain Type of Freedom (2015), Essence (2018), Deterrence (2020), and We’ll Meet Again (2021).

Roman's latest book is Interdisciplinary Applications of Shame/Violence Theory: Breaking the Cycle (Palgrave Macmillan 2022).
His previous co-edited books include The Media, Political Participation and Empowerment (Routledge 2013) and The Politics of Extreme Austerity: Greece in the Eurozone Crisis (Palgrave Macmillan 2015). His first book in Greece - Dispatches from the 21st century (Papadopoulos 2020) - was named Best Non-Fiction Book of 2020 and one of the 'Best Books of the 21st Century' by the Greek press.

His work has appeared in numerous global media outlets (CNN, BBC, AP, Euronews, USA Today, Newsweek etc) and he has written hundreds of op-eds and essays on international affairs. He has been a Visiting Scholar at Emerson College in Boston, and at the Salzburg Global Seminar in Austria.

General Audience $10

Students Free