Democracy in Crisis: Extremist Threats from Left and Right

Democracy in Crisis Series

Presented in Partnership with WOSU Public Media and Columbus Council on World Affairs

Political commentator and strategist Linda Chavez has written that America should embrace neither Trumpist autocrats who are working to control more state legislatures around the country, nor progressives who control many cultural institutions, including some prominent media outlets and universities.

Does the future of American democracy depend on whether the country is willing to reject extreme positions on both the right and the left? What measure of blame belongs to the two sides? What became of America’s traditional middle ground? Is it essential for democracy, and if so, can it be recovered?

With an expert panel, the August 3 forum will examine how political extremism arises, the danger it presents, what’s fueling its growth in America and internationally, and how it might be curbed.

The “Democracy in Crisis” series of public forums is examining threats to democracy leading up to and beyond the 2022 U.S. midterm elections with a series of monthly programs, each presenting expert speakers who will address aspects of the ongoing threats to stability of America’s centuries-old experiment in democracy. The series is a partnership between the Columbus Metropolitan Club and WOSU Public Media, with the Columbus Council on World Affairs as an additional partner for the August 3 program.

Featuring Christopher Gelpi, Ph.D., Director and Chair of Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution, Mershon Center for International Security Studies, and Professor of Political Science, The Ohio State University, Laura Dugan, Ph.D., Ralph D. Mershon Professor of Human Security and Professor of Sociology, The Ohio State University Department of Sociology, Alam Payind, Ph.D., Retired Director of the Middle East Studies Center, The Ohio State University, and Victoria Gurevich, Ph.D. Candidate, Political Science, The Ohio State University, with host Mike Thompson, Chief Content Director, News and Public Affairs, WOSU Public Media.

JOIN US IN THE ROOM for this discussion. Please make reservations by Tuesday, August 2nd. We cannot accommodate walk ins.

You can also still join us on the CMC YouTube Channel to view and participate in the community conversation during this livestream event. We encourage you to register and support CMC by purchasing a virtual seat – different levels of support are available when you register! When you register, you can submit questions in advance.

We also ask you to consider making donations to CMC to support our mission of Connecting People and Ideas Through Community Conversation, even if you are unable to join us for this particular forum.