The 21st century is facing a multitude of parallel and interconnected crises, known as “polycrises.” Such complex crisis systems threaten the stability of political and social structures and challenge traditional concepts of power in international politics. The United States, as a key stabilizing power, is reaching the limits of its ability to ensure international stability through conventional means. This lecture examines U.S. international crisis management over the past five years. In addition to the war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic, it analyzes how international crises were assessed by policymakers and how foreign policy preferences were formulated. The presentation highlights the extent to which multiple crises polarize domestic politics and illustrates how international politics itself can become a source of internal division in democracies.

About the Speaker: 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. 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: This public lecture series has been taking place for over 20 years now, featuring scholars from the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities as well as from its seven sister academies. The lectures are aimed at a broad audience to provide insights into the research being conducted. Afterward, attendees have the opportunity to chat with the researchers over pretzels and wine in the Academy’s Hofgarten.

The series is held in cooperation with vhs Heidelberg.