Post-Pandemic Order: German Green Cem Özdemir on Germany’s Crisis Response, Democracy, and the Big Picture

Though this pandemic is first and foremost a health battle, the experience has also surfaced ideological clashes: autocracy vs. democracy; globalization vs. nationalism; left vs. right; interconnectedness vs. isolation. With Germany at the center of many of these big debates, prominent German parliamentarian Cem Özdemir—member of the Green political party-- joins GMF’s Derek Chollet to talk about the geopolitics of coronavirus and the view from Europe’s biggest economy.

Özdemir, who recovered from the virus himself, discusses Europe’s “Corona Bonds” debate and the various forces pushing-and-pulling how Europe manages its own economic recovery. Among other topics, the conversation covers the threat of authoritarianism in this crisis and the case for liberalism to prevail. Plus: the critical questions about what the virus has exposed about interconnected societies—and what comes next.