Quo vadis, America (part 3) – The End of U.S. Democracy?

Some observers maintain that the United States is no longer a full democracy. The Trump administration has concentrated power in the Executive branch, ignored court orders, and attacked constitutionally protected freedoms. With notions of election interference proliferating, public trust in election outcomes is low.

Others, on the other hand, emphasize that the U.S. still has free and fair elections, and cite the strength of civil society and grassroots mobilization at state and local levels. Yet regardless of position, it is clear that the United States today finds itself in a historically turbulent political era.

For the third time in three years, Uppsala University’s Swedish Institute for North American Studies (SINAS) is convening a symposium to revisit the question of where the United States is headed. This time, the inquiry focuses on the state of U.S. democracy in anticipation of the consequential Midterm elections in November.

Are political institutions holding strong, or is the constitutional order already collapsing? Some fear that the U.S. Constitution is not only ill-equipped to respond to mounting democratic threats but that it may even amplify the worst features of American politics. Are we experiencing the end of U.S. democracy, or can further backsliding be avoided? What can Americans do to defend democracy?

Keynote speaker: Aziz Rana, Professor of Law and Government at Boston College.

Panelists: Aziz Rana (Boston College), Fredrik Logevall (Harvard University/Uppsala University), and Anthoula Malkopoulou (Uppsala University).

Full program and registration coming soon.