Addressing Myths and Misconceptions amidst the Rise of right-wing Populism

In his presentation, Gerald Knaus argues that migration fears drive populist leaders like Viktor Orban and Donald Trump to undermine post-war liberal democracies. Using examples from Austria, France, Italy, and Germany, Dr Knaus will demonstrate how these fears have enabled the far-right to achieve their strongest results in recent European elections. He offers suggestions on how to improve migration management in Europe by moving towards a more humane legal system which balances border control and human rights by introducing fast and fair asylum procedures, strategic deportations, and legal mobility for migrants. He also discusses partnership agreements and other options to deter illegal migration. About the Speaker: Gerald Knaus is an Austrian migration expert and a well-known advisor on migration policy. He is the founding chairman of the European Stability Initiative (ESI) think tank and a founding member of the European Council on Foreign Relations. An accomplished author, in 2020, he published the award-winning SPIEGEL bestseller “What Borders Do We Need?” and prior to that he wrote a book in 2011 with the British writer and then politician Rory Stewart entitled: “Can Intervention Work? He was an Associate Fellow at the Kennedy School in Harvard University for five years and has lectured at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) in Vienna, at the State University of Ukraine and at the NATO College in Rome. Apart from refugee issues, his expertise covers economics, southern Europe and the Balkans, rule of law in Europe, and corruption.