The 21st century is facing a multitude of parallel and interconnected crises, referred to as polycrises. Such complex crisis systems threaten the stability of political and social structures and challenge traditional concepts of power in international politics. The US, as the central force for order, is reaching the limits of its ability to secure international stability in the traditional way. This lecture will examine the US's international crisis management over the past five years. In addition to the war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic, it will analyze how international crises have been assessed by political decision-makers and how foreign policy preferences have been formulated. The presentation will show the extent to which polycrises polarize domestic politics and illustrate how international politics itself can become a source of internal division in democracies.

About the Author: Dr. Gordon Friedrichs is a Senior Researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg. Previously, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Freiburg and a Fulbright-Schuman Visiting Scholar at the Kellogg Institute for International Studies at the University of Notre Dame. He studied at the University of Frankfurt am Main, Arizona State University (USA), and the University of Heidelberg. He conducts research and teaches in the fields of international relations, global governance, and comparative foreign policy analysis. Since April 2024, he has co-directed the “Polycrises” project at the WIN-Kolleg of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities together with Dr. Natalie Rauscher.

About the lecture series: For over 20 years now, this public lecture series has been taking place, featuring presentations by scholars from the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities well Academy of Sciences and Humanities from its seven sister academies. The lectures are aimed at a broad audience and are designed to provide insights into the research being conducted. Afterward, there will be an opportunity to chat with the scholars over pretzels and wine in the Academy’s courtyard garden.

The series is held in cooperation with vhs Heidelberg.