"Mechanisms of international politics: practical experience" - Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer visits ZIS

On July 1, 2024, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, whose political career has included positions as Federal Minister of Defense, Minister-President of Saarland, state minister there in various departments and federal chairwoman of the CDU, was a guest at the Center for International Studies (ZIS) at TU Dresden. She gave a keynote speech on "Mechanisms of international politics: practical experience" to students of international relations and political science, which was followed by an open question and discussion session with the students. The event was moderated by Anna Holzscheiter, Professor of International Politics.

A political scientist by training, Ms. Kramp-Karrenbauer moved into academic and policy advisory roles after her political career - she is Co-Chair of the International Leadership Council of the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) and Visiting Professor for Policy Management at the Mercator Foundation at the NRW School of Governance at the University of Duisburg-Essen.It was therefore hardly surprising that the discussion touched on both political issues, in particular the re-enabling of the Bundeswehr for national and alliance defense, as well as current questions regarding the resilience of democratic political systems. In addition, the practical relevance of political science was also discussed, with current research and teaching not coming off too badly.

© ZIS

Given this portfolio, it was hardly surprising that the lecture hall was more than well filled despite the summer weather. After a 25-minute keynote speech, Ms. Kramp-Karrenbauer spent a good 70 minutes answering the numerous questions from the students, who, after Anna Holzscheiter's closing remarks, expressed their appreciation of the event and Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer's appearance with a long round of applause. The promise of the event's title was kept: In a free, open and pleasantly clear speech, "AKK" shared her diverse "practical experience" with her audience, particularly from her time as a federal minister at European and international level.

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