The Fourth Danube Institute – The Heritage Foundation Geopolitical Summit - DAY 1 PART 1

Since the last Danube Institute-Heritage Foundation Geopolitical Summit, the world has seen a number of changes and accelerations. Within democracies, we have seen more people vote in 2024 than in any year in modern history; we have seen the power of corporations continue to increase, with implications for the power of the state; we have seen the erosion of the remaining vestiges of post-cold war unipolarity, and the consolidation of a multipolar model of world power; we have seen increasing tensions between the advocates of the energy realism, and the heralds of energy idealism; and we have seen the competition for hearts and minds and the supposed ‘moral high ground’, in the context of at least two wars that have divided the opinions of nations and families alike. 

In the context of all of this, this year’s Summit brings together leading thinkers, writers, and practitioners to discuss these topics, centered on the unifying theme that they all share: ‘Whose New World Order?’ 

Does the near future belong to the left or right? Does power lie with the state, or corporate interests, and which is preferable? Who sets the rules of the game in a multipolar world? Which energy strategy will best prepare societies for the rainy days ahead? And which narratives of peace and justice will prevail, in the face of escalating conflicts with global implications? The panels will discuss all these topics in the context of the conference theme.