In Defense of Decadent Europe

Europe’s recent constitutional crisis and persistent economic difficulties have led
many to call into question, once again, the vitality of the European project. In
1976, during an earlier episode of European malaise, influential French political
philosopher Raymond Aron published Plaidoyer pour l’Europe décadente, an
eloquent defense of a Europe whose self-absorption and even decadence seemed
to herald its decline. In the second annual Raymond Aron Lecture, two renowned
experts on France and Europe revisit Aron’s analysis and challenge the view that
a divided Europe is inevitably in decline.

The lecture will feature Tony Judt,
Remarque Professor of European Studies, New York University and Gilles Andréani former Director, Policy Planning Staff, French Foreign Ministry

Transcript (PDF—104kb)