Civility gUG
Civility Theory Research - Analysis - Education
.
Invitation to a shared remembrance and discussion!
Volker von Prittwitz
How should the celebrations commemorating the end of World War II be handled in light of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine? Political disorientation prevails: Some communities take it for granted that representatives of Russia and Belarus can participate; others exclude them, fearing that the celebrations will otherwise be exploited for propaganda purposes in support of the Russian war of aggression.
That this fear is justified became clear at the commemoration of the fighting on the Seelow Heights 80 years ago. During this ceremony, Russian ambassador Sergei Nechayev, broadcast on a radio station (which I heard myself), declared regarding the war in Ukraine: "We are not fighting against the Ukrainian people, a kind of brother nation to us; but we cannot tolerate the neo-Nazi regime ruling Ukraine." He thus implicitly equated Ukraine with National Socialism and present-day Russia with the Soviet Union in the fight against Hitler's Germany.
In reality, Ukraine is attempting to defend its independence, freedom, and democracy against the Russian war of aggression, with the support of European democracies. Russia terrorizes the Ukrainian civilian population almost every day with numerous missile and drone attacks, often leaving dozens injured and dead. If Russia conquers a territory, it threatens the most terrible acts of violence (example: Bucha). Putin's Russia considers itself nationally and ethnically superior to other countries and asserts at least latent claims to power over Ukraine and other neighboring states. To enforce these claims militarily, it has allied itself with proven enemies of democracy and human rights, such as North Korea and Iran. Internally, all opposition is suppressed; prominent opposition figures and journalists are systematically murdered – all unequivocally proven facts that cast Russia, but not Ukraine, as particularly neo-Nazi.
In light of this, it seems more urgent than ever to discuss the guiding motives of those involved in the Ukraine War (as well as in other conflicts) in a mutually respectful but clear manner. To this end, I call on the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Chancellery, and the public in European countries, as well as representatives of Russia and the United States, to do so. To this end, I propose inviting representatives of Russia and Belarus to the commemorations, but combining this invitation with an invitation to an open discussion about the Ukraine War and the current political systems of Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine.
The theory of civility provides diverse inspiration for political-analytic discourses. Click on the heading for a brief overview, as well as the theoretical versions from 2018 (Theory of Civil Modernity), 2023 (General and Particular Theory of Civility), and 2025 (General Theory of Civility).
USA:
From Democracy to Kleptocracy
Donald Trump thinks and acts unilaterally (unilateralistically) according to the motto: "Trump First." Unilateral tariff increases, however, impede global economic exchange and reduce overall economic productivity. Furthermore, economic unilateralism promotes general political and military unilateralism, thus increasing the potential for violence. Finally, Trump and his clique enrich themselves unbridled at the expense of the general public: thieves in power (kleptocracy).
As Trump continually expands his power, all of this is not easy to counter. This includes regulating actors that Trump deliberately avoids, such as US tech companies like Google, Amazon, and META, as well as oil companies that rigorously promote fossil fuel extraction. Trump's kleptocracy should be openly addressed not only in the US but also in the United Nations.
Equality
through quotas?
The idea that equality can only be achieved through fixed shares (quotas) of power or positions is not only prevalent in the women's movement – a view that can be justified as a counter-moment to a rigid power structure. Quotas, however, privilege the quota-based group and, within this group, especially those who represent it.
In contrast, equality exists to the extent that all participants have the same rights and can effectively use them. See, for example, the right to vote with indiscriminately guaranteed active and passive voting, equal voting power, and guaranteed practical opportunities to participate freely. See a discussion on this already conducted in 2018 in the book: Theory of Civil Modernity (click on the button below).
Are elected officials allowed to abolish basic democratic rights?
Putin and Trump are replacing universal rules with the logic of power...
Putin and Trump are replacing generally accepted rules with the logic of power...
The Federal Environment Agency and the Federal Minister for Climate Protection present Germany's climate policy as "on track." However, global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise—a devastating form of self-deception.
Russian President Putin has proposed placing Ukraine under UN administration in order to conduct democratic elections there – a proposal clearly intended to delegitimize and weaken the freely elected Ukrainian government. Democratic elections, however, are fundamentally only possible independently. Accordingly, it is questionable why political elections are not generally conducted transparently and, for this purpose, monitored by the United Nations – including in Russia.