German ‘militant democracy’ is sometimes regarded as a possible solution to recent authoritarian tendencies in democracies. The doctrine makes it possible to ban political parties, associations, monitor political groups etc. However, rather than offering a solution, these capacities of state authorities might breed authoritarian effects of their own. The paper will ask how Germany – and other countries – should deal with this well-known dilemma. The question has come under renewed scrutiny because of the recent rise of the far-right AfD party. The paper will evaluate, among others, whether the AfD should be monitored by domestic intelligence services as an alternative to a party ban.
Our 2020 Annual Conference was scheduled to be held at the University of Wrocław in Poland on July 9-11, 2020.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ICON·S Executive Committee has decided to postpone our 2020 Conference to 2021. Our next Annual Conference will take place from July 8-10, 2021, in Wrocław, Poland.
Procedural details regarding the organization of the 2021 Conference will follow in the months ahead.
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