Joint Alumni Forum
Challenges to Democracy
Panel Discussion with Experts
Speakers and Panel:
Velina Tchakarova, Geopolitical Strategist and Certified Strategic Foresight Expert
Matt Johnson, Political Journalist
Eri Bertsou, Political Scientist & Democracy Expert at University of St. Gallen
Moderator:
Diane Bailey, Executive Board, Harvard Club of Switzerland, and Founder of the Joint Alumni Forum
Dear Harvardians, Joint Alumni Forum, and Interested Parties,
The Joint Alumni Forum is in its 8th year of fostering social responsibility impact with 20 events and 55+ guest speakers. The next Joint Alumni Forum event, “Challenges to Democracy,” is on 10 June 2025, 6 pm at Walder Wyss offices in Zurich and virtually.
In this event, our panel of speakers will draw from their expertise to provide a global outlook on the current state of play with democracy and the challenges we face with the current leadership in key jurisdictions. Eri Bertsou will kick off the discussion with an academic perspective on democracy - What exactly is democracy, and how has this evolved and changed historically? Velina Tchakarova will address the geopolitical position on democracy in Europe and Asia and the impact this has on security. Then we will hear from Matt Johnson about current challenges to democracy in the USA. This will be followed by a panel discussion, led by Diane Bailey, bringing the three perspectives on the challenges described by the speakers into a global context, how certain states are impacting the state of play in the world, and what individuals and institutions can do during these challenging times.
We will conclude with closing remarks by Urs Schenker, Walder Wyss/President of the Harvard Club of Switzerland.
We look forward to providing a thought-provoking and inspirational forum for discussion.
When: Tuesday, 10 June at 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm (arrivals from 5:30 pm), Drinks and Networking to follow
Location: Walder Wyss AG, Seefeldstrasse 123, 8008 Zürich
Tickets: General Admission CHF20, Student/Part-timer and Retired rate CHF10, Free for Virtual Participants, Refugees, non-University students, special circumstances.
Payment: Please pay upfront and present payment confirmation upon arrival - see payment options on the registration form.
For and on behalf of the Harvard Club of Switzerland and the Joint Alumni Forum
Diane B Bailey
Register here
Meet our Panel
Velina Tchakarova
Velina Tchakarova is a political scientist and security expert providing risk, trend, and scenario assessment for the public and private sectors. Previously, Velina was the Director of the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy (AIES) in Vienna, Austria.
Velina has a BA in International Relations from the University of National and World Economy in Sofia, an MA in Political Science from Heidelberg University, and is a PhD Candidate in Internationale Politik-Analyse from the University of Vienna.
Matt Johnson
Matt Johnson is an American writer and editor living in Zurich. You'll find his work in MSNBC, The Bulwark, The Daily Beast, and many other outlets. He is the author of How Hitchens Can Save the Left: Rediscovering Fearless Liberalism in an Age of Counter-Enlightenment, which was published in 2023.
Matt has a BA in Political Science and an MS in Journalism, both from the University of Kansas.
Eri Bertsou
Prof. Dr. Eri Bertsou is a Political Scientist & Assistant Professor, University of St. Gallen (HSG).
Dr. Eri Bertsou researches the intersection of citizen behavior, political institutions, and policymaking, focusing on trust, technocratic politics, and democracy. An Assistant Professor at HSG, she leads the SNSF-funded project “Varieties of Expertise ”and collaborates with research centers at the London School of Economics and the European University Institute.
Dr. Bertsou holds a BA (Hons) in Philosophy and Literature from the University of Warwick and a PhD in Political Science and Government from LSE. Eri´s work is published at leading scientific outlets, including the American Journal of Political Science and Nature Human Behaviour.
About the Joint Alumni Forum
The Joint Alumni Forum, a social responsibility committee of the Harvard Club of Switzerland and cooperation with the alumni clubs in Switzerland of Harvard, Oxford & Cambridge, Stanford, Yale, Columbia University, Northwestern, and others was established in January 2018 as a forum for discussion, education and debate on various themes encompassing social responsibility (i.e. equality themes, environnment, sustainability, human rights, etc.). The outreach for the speakers series is broader than the alumni of universities in the collaboration, but also like-minded representatives of institutions and interest groups based in Switzerland, and members of the public.
Our Aim is to Trigger Thoughts which Trigger Action, which Triggers Impact.
If you’d like to know more about us or participate in our initiatives, please contact us.
Our Sponsors
Big thank you to our sponsors for this event:
Venue Sponsor:
