In the latest issue of the IWMpost, historian Richard Cockett explores the century-old intellectual clash between Hans Kelsen and Carl Schmitt, and how their opposing visions continue to shape political debates today: www.iwm.at/publication/...

„Zum Teil Dirigent, zum Teil Konzertmeister“ – der zukünftige IWM-Rektor Michael David-Fox spricht im Interview mit @muellerschin.bsky.social über seine Pläne für das Institut, seine Rolle als Rektor und die Zukunft des IWM: science.orf.at/stories/3236...

Was den neuen IWM-Rektor nach Wien lockte

Der US-Historiker Michael David-Fox übernimmt nach dem Sommer als neuer Rektor die Leitung des Instituts für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen (IWM) in Wien. Im ORF-Interview skizziert der erste Amerika...

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"The failure of democracy leads to a stupid war, but then the person who started the stupid war can use the stupid war to try to make democracy even worse.“ I've been speaking to @timothysnyder.bsky.social at the @iwm.at for @fm4.orf.at about Trump's Iran adventure. fm4.orf.at/story/snyder...

Two Wars No One Can Actually Win: Timothy Snyder on Trump and Putin

Historian Timothy Snyder has called Putin and Trump „superlosers.“ He says the cost of their losing their wars of choice is being paid by everyone else.

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2022 Emma Goldman Snowball Award recipient Adriana Zaharijević returned to the IWM in 2026 to deliver a keynote on the students’ protests in Serbia. An article adapted from her speech appeared in the latest issue of the IWMpost: www.iwm.at/publication/...

As part of the annual Krzysztof Michalski Memorial Lecture, IWM Permanent Fellow Ludger Hagedorn drew attention to the final episodes in the life of Czech philosopher and Charter 77 spokesperson Jan Patočka, on the occasion of the upcoming 50th anniversary of Charter 77: www.iwm.at/news/shaken-...

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Michael David-Fox as IWM rector! The distinguished historian will take up his five-year term in August 2026, becoming the fourth person to hold the position in the Institute's history. Read more here: www.iwm.at/news/michael...

The IWM invites applications for its Digital Humanism Junior Visiting Fellowship, offering a three-month research stay in Vienna (between February and June 2027) as part of the Institute's Digital Humanism Program: www.iwm.at/calls/digita... @bmimi.gv.at

From current conflicts in Europe and the future of democracy to artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and the enduring relevance of political ideas, this new issue brings together perspectives on some of the most pressing questions shaping our world today: www.iwm.at/publication/...

Im Ö1-Gespräch mit Armin Wolf beleuchtet IWM Albert Hirschman Permanent Fellow Ivan Krastev die Krise der liberalen Demokratie, die Rückkehr des Krieges als Mittel der Politik und die Zukunft Europas. Das gesamte Gespräch hier zum Nachhören: oe1.orf.at/programm/202...

Ivan Krastev, Politologe | FR | 19 06 2026 | 16:05

Im Gespräch mit Armin Wolf

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Why is encounter between academia and the public significant? @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu & Ivan Krastev on the role of public intellectuals today - and on the importance of institutions such as the IWM that support them: youtu.be/Za7NFbKwv0M?...

Heute im Radiokulturhaus - Historiker Christopher Clark über die politischen Entscheidungskulturen der Gegenwart und den Wandel souveräner Entscheidungsstile im Laufe der Zeit: www.iwm.at/event/das-mo...

Drawing on his new book "Chasing Shadows", Ronald Deibert (@citizenlab.ca) joined Ivan Krastev at the IWM to discuss spyware, AI-enabled subversion, and the hidden infrastructures of digital surveillance: youtu.be/JP3xKTGDYzA?... © Johannes Hloch

In the current conjuncture, can the spatial histories of authoritarian haunting grounds illuminate the present? Join us next week for our Monthly Lecture with Katharyne Mitchell on the spatial history of Tempelhof Field in Berlin. Register here: www.iwm.at/event/the-ha...

On 13 May, @anneapplebaum.bsky.social delivered this year’s Speech to Europe, reflecting on the multiple challenges Europe faces but also reminding us of the enormous potential it possesses: www.iwm.at/news/a-speec... Photo Credit: ERSTE Stiftung/APA-Fotoservice/Tanzer

In today's ceremonial address at the Austrian Federal Chancellery, Ivan Krastev reflects on what it means for Europeans today to consider themselves the children of May 8th, 1945 – an appeal to remain hopeful. Read the full address: www.iwm.at/news/all-eur...

We’re entering an era defined less by isolated crises than by systemic rivalries. @thomasgomart.bsky.social and Ivan Krastev on geopolitical “duels,” shifting power dynamics, and the growing pressure on Europe: youtu.be/-3WzkEW9iKY?... © Ben Kaulfus

At last week's Political Salon (with @erstestiftung.org, @diepressecom.bsky.social & Wien Museum), @frankfukuyama.bsky.social, Ivan Krastev, Andreas Treichl & Christian Ultsch explored rising populism, pressure on democracy & lessons from Hungary: youtu.be/fL4bD3Lv17Q?... Photo Credit: Klaus Ranger

Heute startet Vienna meets Prague! Den Auftakt macht ein besonderes Konzert: Vanda Šabaková und Luděk Šabaka (Vater und Tochter) präsentieren ein Programm für Harfe und Klavier, das Werke vom 18. Jahrhundert bis in die Gegenwart umfasst. 👉 www.viennameetsprague.com/duo-%C5%A1ab...

The liberal international order is dead—and no one should mourn its passing. Any relevant successor must and will be a planetary order whose lodestars are ecological survival and planetary habitability, argues @nilsgilman.bsky.social. 📺 Rewatch his February lecture here:

NILS GILMAN: What Is a ‘World Order’? (And What Would a Planetary One Look Like?)

Monthly Lecture What Is a ‘World Order’? (And What Would a Planetary One Look Like?) Nils Gilman, Misha Glenny 10 February 2026, 18:00 CET IWM Library The liberal international order is dead—and no…

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Ein Highlight der heurigen Ausgabe von Vienna meets Prague: Kurt Schwitters' dadaistische Ursonate in der Fassung von Jaromír Typlt und Pavel Novotný, erstmals in Wien aufgeführt. Sie frönt ganz dem Unsinn, und ist doch alles andere als unsinnig. 🤝 In Koop. mit @oegfl.bsky.social 👉 buff.ly/cr7erOP

Join @thomasgomart.bsky.social & Ivan Krastev for a timely discussion on the shifting global balance of power. As the post-1945 international order tilts, this talk explores how power is reshaped by conflict, competition & technological disruption: www.iwm.at/event/who-co...

On the evening of 13 May, the award-winning American-Polish historian and author @anneapplebaum.bsky.social will deliver the 5th Speech to Europe on Vienna's Judenplatz, exploring whether now is “the European Moment”, what that means, and what choices lie ahead for Europe: www.iwm.at/event/a-spee...

🗣️ Bei Pavel Novotný dreht sich alles um die Dynamik der gesprochenen Sprache. Am 23. April bringt der Lyriker und Übersetzer im Rahmen von Vienna meets Prague sinnvolle und sinnlose Prozeduren, Rituale und Sprachgewohnheiten auf die Bühne des Depots: www.viennameetsprague.com/pavel-novotn...

🔊 How do cultural spaces function as sites of political resistance? In our next Monthly Lecture, @thomasseifert.bsky.social examines the role of nightlife in shaping civic identity and dissent across Eastern Europe, drawing on material from Kyiv, Belgrade, Chișinău, and Tbilisi. 👉 buff.ly/SiJ7eFB

AI is no longer a distant possibility—it’s reshaping our economy, security, work, and democracy in real time. In one of this week's most popular videos on our YouTube channel, @tobywalsh.bsky.social explores both the opportunities and risks of increasingly powerful AI systems. 👉

TOBY WALSH: The AI Race - Boom or Doom?

IWM Digital Humanism Fellowship Lecture with Toby Walsh The AI Race: Boom or Doom? Toby Walsh, Hannes Werthner 26 March 2026, 18:00 CET TU Wien Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant…

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🎬 Böhmen, Ende des 17. Jahrhunderts: Ein macht- und besitzgieriger Inquisitor wird gerufen, um angebliche Hexerei zu beenden. Im Rahmen unseres Festivals Vienna meets Prague zeigen wir das brisante Drama „Hexenjagd“ von Otakar Vávra aus dem Jahr 1969. 📍25.4., 20 Uhr, top Kino: buff.ly/4mZoWC1

Poesie trifft auf Klanglandschaften: Anna Luňáková bringt am 24.4. mit „City Amalgam“ Prags urbane Echos nach Wien – eine Performance zwischen Sprache, Geräusch & Imagination, gemeinsam mit Julia Miesenböck und Jakub Štourač, moderiert von Manfred Müller / @oegfl.bsky.social. ➡️ buff.ly/noAgcDb

Michael Stewart's lecture on 10 March about Romany experiences under Nazism offered a profound rethinking of race and exclusion, challenging how we understand violence in relation to the idea of a National Community (Volksgemeinschaft). In case you missed it, you can rewatch it here:

MICHAEL STEWART: Questions of Race and Nation

Monthly Lecture Questions of Race and Nation: The Persecution of the Romany Peoples in Europe 1933–1945 Michael Stewart, Misha Glenny 10 March 2026, 18:00 CET IWM Library This talk concerns the…

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📽️ Auch Klassiker des tschechischen Kinos sind heuer wieder fester Bestandteil von Vienna meets Prague. Wir zeigen am 25.4. Krakatit von Otakar Vávra (1948) – die Geschichte des talentierten Chemikers Prokop, der sich vergeblich dagegen wehrt, dass seine Erfindung missbraucht wird: buff.ly/lGBu8lH

We are delighted to welcome seven new fellows to the IWM in April: Khalid Bencherif, Richard Cockett, Naja Dyrendom Graugaard, Milorad Ivanovic, @matteonebbiai.bsky.social, @thomasseifert.bsky.social, and John C. Swanson. 👉 Learn more about their work on our website: www.iwm.at/news/new-fel...