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 Foreign 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. His research and teaching focus on international relations, global governance, and comparative foreign policy analysis. since 2024, he has co-led the “Polycrises” project with Dr. Natalie Rauscher at WIN-Kolleg Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities.

About the lecture series: since over 20 yearssince , this public lecture series has been taking place, featuring 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 researchers’ work. Afterward, attendees will have the 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.