Berlin – ESI at KAS: Adenauer’s legacy must be defended from the far-right

27 November 2025
Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. Photo: flickr/Gertrud K.
Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. Photo: flickr/Gertrud K.

ESI’s Gerald Knaus gave a presentation on ESI research at the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Germany’s largest think-tank. He discussed his finding and conclusions from his new book, “Welches Europa brauchen wir?”, on the future of democracy in Europe. 

Gerald began by noting that since the Second World War, Europe has experienced both remarkable prosperity and recurring crises, drawing two key observations. First, European integration has done much to advance Konrad Adenauer’s goal of a free, secure Europe. Although violent conflicts have occurred on the continent’s periphery – from the wars in the Balkans in the 1990s to the ongoing war in Ukraine – relations among member states of the European Union have been fundamentally transformed. Former adversaries, including Germany and Denmark, now cooperate closely within shared political and economic structures. Second, Gerald highlighted the success of another area central to Adenauer’s legacy: the success of transatlantic security guarantees.

Gerald pointed out NATO’s deterrence has prevented an expansionist Russia from bringing war to member states in the East, thereby enabling an extended period of stability and growth in states such as Poland and the Baltics. Against this background, Gerald argued that Europe must continue to deepen cooperation with its neighbours while strengthening its collective defence capacity.

Gerald next warned that these achievements now face significant pressure. He suggested that Russia’s leadership, together with other illiberal political forces, seeks to weaken the European order by reviving old nationalist divisions and fostering instability. These efforts, he argued, extend beyond conventional warfare and include attempts to destabilise European politics, including through pressures linked to migration, while Russia continues large-scale missile strikes against western and central Ukraine.

Such dynamics have also affected domestic politics within the EU, contributing to growing support for far-right parties such as Alternative für Deutschland in Germany and Freedom Party of Austria in Austria. In Gerald’s view, this underscores the importance of defending the achievements of the EU and NATO with confidence and determination.