Symposium: Quo vadis, America? part 2
- Date: 9 June 2025, 13:00–17:00
- Location: Eva Netzelius hall, Blåsenhus
- Type: Seminar
- Web page
- Organiser: Swedish Institute for North American Studies (SINAS)
- Contact person: Dag Blanck
- Research topic: Democracy
The United States is undergoing major changes. Where is the country headed, in terms of democracy, society, and international relations? The symposium "Quo vadis, America? part 2" gathers American and European experts to discuss the question.
Program
13.00 Welcome – Dag Blanck, professor and director of SINAS
13.10 Introductory remarks – Dan Balz
13.40 Short break
13.50 Panel I – Jessica Gienow-Hecht, Fredrik Logevall, Erik Åsard. Moderator Saniya Lee Ghanoui
15.10 Coffee break
15.40 Panel II – Dan Balz, Emma Ricknell, Amy Walter. Moderator Karin Henriksson
16.50 Concluding remarks – Dag Blanck
Participants
Dan Balz, chief correspondent, Washington Post
Jessica Gienow-Hecht, professor of history and chair of the Department of History, John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies, Freie Universität Berlin
Fredrik Logevall, Laurence D. Belfer professor of international affairs, John F. Kennedy School of Government and professor of history, Harvard University
Emma Ricknell, senior lecturer in political science, Linneaus University
Amy Walter, publisher & editor-in-chief, Cook Political Report
Erik Åsard, emeritus professor of North American studies, Uppsala University
Saniya Lee Ghanoui, assistant professor of history, University of Texas–El Paso
Karin Henriksson, journalist and author based in Washington, D.C.
About the symposium
The United States is undergoing major changes as president Trump seeks to fundamentally change American society and the ways in which the country interacts with the outside world. A slew of Executive Orders and other decisions have affected many parts of American society. Federal agencies and departments have been closed, thousands of people have been fired, deportations are underway, universities and research institutes have lost funding and are under pressure, legal actions have been taken against the media, tariffs have been imposed, and traditional allies have been threatened.
In June 2024, a few months before the general election, the Swedish Institute for North American Studies (SINAS) invited a group of American and Swedish academics and political analysts to discuss the question of where the United States was headed, under the rubric “Quo vadis, America?”. Given everything that has happened since, it is time to revisit the question. To many of us observing the United States from the outside, recent events seem unprecedented and leave us wondering about the road ahead.
Therefore, SINAS is once again gathering a group of prominent American and European scholars and analysts for “Quo vadis, America? part 2”. The symposium will address the fundamental questions of how to interpret what is happening in the United States in the current moment and where the country is headed, domestically and internationally. Is American democracy in jeopardy? Is the world order about to shift?
Speakers
%20Dan+Balz.jpg)
Dan Balz is Chief correspondent at the Washington Post, covering national politics, the presidency and Congress. He joined the Post in 1978 and has been involved in political coverage as a reporter or editor throughout his career. He is a regular panelist on PBS’s “Washington Week” and has appeared on other public affairs programs. He is the recipient of the John Chancellor Award for Excellence in Journalism; Robin Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting, and the American Political Science Association's Carey McWilliams Award, 1999. Balz is the author of several books, including The Battle for America 2008: The Story of an Extraordinary Election (2009), and Collision 2012: Obama vs. Romney and the Future of Elections in America (2013).
%20Gienow-Hecht.jpg)
Jessica Gienow-Hecht is Professor of History and Chair of the Department of History, John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies at Freie Universität Berlin. She studies international and global history with a particular eye on North America, examining the interplay between cultural projection and interaction and the desire for geopolitical legitimacy and influence. She has published over a dozen books and numerous articles, including Visions of Humanity: Historical Cultural Practices since 1850 (2023), Nation Branding in Modern History (2018), and Sound Diplomacy: Music, Emotions, and Politics in Transatlantic Relations, 1850–1920 (2009). Gienow-Hecth is a frequent commentator on the United States and transatlantic relations in German media.
%20Faculty_Logevall_Fred_MS18R_0.jpg)
Fredrik Logevall is Laurence D. Belfer Professor of International Affairs at the John F. Kennedy School of Government and Professor of History at Harvard University. A specialist in the history of U.S. foreign relations and modern international history, he is the author or editor of ten books, most recently JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917–1956 (2020). Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America’s Vietnam (2012) won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for History and the 2013 Francis Parkman Prize. Since 2024, Logevall is a part-time visiting professor at SINAS.
%20ricknell.jpeg)
Emma Ricknell is Senior Lecturer in Political Science at Linnaeus University in Växjö, Sweden. She works on issues of politics and media and is a part of the Linnaeus University Research Group on Political Behavior, Opinion and Parties, as well as the ongoing research project “Everyday Democracy – building resilience against polarization and radicalization.” Ricknell’s publications include “Capital Punishment in the Midwest: Liberal Struggles, Race, and Legacy” (2025), Death Penalty in Decline: Brakes and Accelerators in U.S. State Legislatures (2021), and “Freedom of expression and alternatives for Internet governance: prospects and pitfalls” (2020).
%20(2)%20(2)%20(2)%20amy%20walter.jpg)
Amy Walter is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the Cook Political Report, where she provides analysis of the issues, trends and events that shape the political environment. She was an inaugural fellow at the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago, is a contributor to PBS NewsHour, where she provides weekly political analysis for the popular “Politics Monday” segment, and is a featured contributor to their Election and Convention special coverage events, as well as a regular Sunday panelist on NBC’s Meet the Press and CNN’s Inside Politics. Walter was recognized as one of Washington’s Most Powerful Women in 2021 and 2023.
%20(2)%20Erik%20A%CC%8Asard_Foto_Roger%20Berglund.jpg)
Erik Åsard is Emeritus Professor of North American Studies at Uppsala University. A leading scholar of American politics in Sweden, he is the author of over a dozen books and numerous articles on American and Swedish politics. His books include a political biography of Hillary Clinton, several studies of conspiracy theories, a comparison of Swedish and American political cultures, an analysis of the threats to democracy in Europe and the U.S., American influences in Sweden, and on political rhetoric. Åsard is a frequent guest in Swedish media and was the founding director of SINAS.