< Populism Symposium Home
Registration and Light Breakfast
8:30 - 9:00 a.m.
Panel 1: The Rise of Populism – Trends, Forces, and Developments
9:00 - 10:15 a.m.
Aleksandar Hemon, Fiction Writer, Essayist, Critic
John Judis, Author, The Populist Explosion: How the Great Recession Transformed American and European Politics; Editor-at-Large, Talking Points Memo
Cas Mudde, Associate Professor, School of Public and International Affairs, University of Georgia
Daniel Lansberg-Rodriguez, Chief Economist, Core Capital Management; Director, Latin America region, Greenmantle LLC; Adjunct Lecturer in Finance, Northwestern University Kellogg School of Business
Niamh King (moderator), Vice President, Programs and Strategic Content, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Populism is dominating headlines around the world. Yet the ubiquity of the term can render it amorphous and confusing. What precisely is populism, and how does its modern iteration compare to its historical forebears? What is the difference between left-wing and right-wing populism? Moreover, why are many populist parties and candidates winning elections in Europe while losing out to pro-capitalist technocrats in Latin America? What economic and social developments have fueled populism’s rise—and why have we been caught off guard? Most important, is populism a threat to the democratic establishment or is it effectively broadening the conversation around the most pressing issues of our time?
Panel 2: From Brexit to Election 2016 – Populism in Europe and the United States
10:30 - 11:45 a.m.
Lee Feinstein, Former US Ambassador to Poland (2009-2012); Dean, Indiana University School of Global and International Studies
Dina Smeltz, Senior Fellow, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Constanze Stelzenmüller, Robert Bosch Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Center on the United States and Europe, Brookings
João Vale de Almeida, EU Ambassador to the United Nations; former EU Ambassador to the United States
Noah J. Toly (moderator), Senior Fellow, Global Cities, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Brexit is perhaps populism’s most consequential electoral success thus far. But all across Europe, populist parties—from Alternative for Germany to Greece’s Syriza, from Hungary’s Jobbik to Poland’s PiS, from the right to the left—are challenging a liberal European order that has existed since the end of World War II. Meanwhile, on this side of the Atlantic, the populist overtones of the 2016 election have found wide resonance and led to heated debate about America’s class divides, economic inequality, and the nation’s very identity. What is driving this transatlantic wave of populism, and how is it transforming American and European politics?
Lunch Keynote Panel: Beyond 2016 – The Implications of Populism
12 noon - 1:15 p.m.
Ivo Daalder, President, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Robin Niblett, Director, Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House)
Populist candidates and parties have already changed today’s political discourse. Yet upcoming elections in America and Europe offer potential for even greater upheaval. Will populist movements maintain their pressure on the political establishment or will their concerns be integrated into mainstream parties? Are we entering a new era of populist politics or will the populist moment fade?