Philosophic discussions and debate on democracy and matters of contemporary life – what can be more Athenian than that?

The century-old tradition has been revived in Athens in the past few years, since the inception of the first Athens Democracy Forum (ADF), by the international conferences division of the New York Times. Programmed each year to coincide with the International Day of Democracy, celebrated by the UN on 15 September, the ADF brings to Athens an impressive roster of journalists, economists, academics, thinkers, diplomats and politicians to debate some of the most significant issues of the day.

Neos Kosmos features among the media sponsors for this year’s event, which will focus on the growing threats to liberal democracies: a massive refugee crisis, terrorist attacks, rising authoritarianism and an erosion of trust in politicians and institutions. How should nations, and citizens, navigate the ever-changing geopolitical landscape? From this basic question, others stem, creating the main themes to be tackled:
Is democracy good for business? Is liberal democracy compatible with religion? Should the major institutions of global governance be reformed, or scrapped? Do terrorist attacks justify giving greater powers to security forces?

Staged among the Greek capital’s historic landmarks, key themes to be tackled include:

Answering these question, this years speakers include Nobel laureate economist (and regular New York Times columnist) Paul Krugman, businesswoman and former US ambassador to Hungary Eleni Tsakopoulos – Kounalakis, CNN’s chief international correspondent Christiane Amanmpour, economist and former PM of Italy Mario Monti, former Australian PM Kevin Rudd, legal expert, whistleblower Edward Snowden and economist (and former Greek Finance Minister) Yanis Varoufakis.
Staged among the Greek capital’s historic landmarks, the event will feature discussion panels and visits to the Acropolis Museum, the Roman Agora and the Attalos Gallery, the Music Megaron and the Presidential Residence, where a reception is to be held by the President of the Greek Democracy, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, under whose auspices the ADF takes place.

From Athens to the Peloponnese: a Forum in two parts

The ADF is divided in two parts. The first part will take place in Athens, from 14 to 16 September. A briefing on the US elections will serve as an official opening, with Paul Krugman and Eleni Tsakopoulos – Kounalakis, among others, debating on the meaning of the of the imminent U.S. election for the rest of the world.
After a curated visit to the Acropolis Museum and other landmarks, the participants will head to the Zappeion. There, Geoffrey Robertson Q.C. will propose a series of hypothetical dilemmas on “The World Tomorrow” and moderate a lively discussion among the panelists, who will be invited to contribute their expertise as they confront the issues presented. The session will aim to highlight a number of challenges to democracy by exploring the key issues in an entertaining and witty discussion.

On Thursday 15 September, New York Times columnist Roger Cohen will moderate a panel on migration, featuring Kevin Rudd, along with two other former PMs, who also happened to be prominent economists, heading specific-purpose governments to respond to the Crisis hitting their respective countries: Italy’s Mario Monti and Greece’s Lucas Papademos. Christiane Amanpour and Eleni Kounalakis will participate on a panel on the appeal of authoritarian leaders, such as Recep Tayip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin, while Yanis Varoufakis will take part in a discussion on Democracy and Business, moderated by Paul Krugman. On the same night, after a discussion on Religion and Democracy and a walk in the Attalos Gallery, participants will head to the Roman Forum, where Yorgos Kaminis, Mayor of Athens, will give a cocktail reception followed by a concert by Alkistis Protopsalti.

The conference will close on Friday, with an exclusive Google hangout on Privacy and Security issues, featuring former US intelligence officer and whistleblower Edward Snowden.

The second part of the ADF will take place at the Costa Navarino luxury resort in Pylos, where participants are going to spend a weekend of philosophy walks, guided archaeological and historical tours to the landmarks of the region, olive oil tastings – but also a panel on Architecture and Democracy, moderated by Roger Cohen and featuring Paul Krugman, urbanist Charles Landry, urbanist and author, architect Patrik Schumacher (of Zaha Hadid Architects) and Petros Themelis, emeritus professor of archaeology, of the University of Crete.

For more information on the ADF, visit www.athensdemocracyforum.com