Wednesday, 10. December 2014, 18:30 – 20:00 h
At the University of Zurich, Rämistrasse 71, 8006 Zurich, KOH-B-10
Throughout history, authoritarian state models have been the rule. Democracy, as a relatively late achievement, proved to be very successful despite its complexity. For a long time, it seemed as if a peaceful world with nothing but democracies was the final state of history. However, since tried and tested democracies have run into economic problems and authoritarian systems that rely on a market economy are celebrating success, this is no longer so certain. The model of democracy has lost its appeal for many countries. This presentation explores the question of whether democracy is still up to the challenges of a complex world full of uncertainties.
Kaspar Villiger was born in 1941. Together with his brother, he ran the family business of the same name for 23 years. After a parliamentary career first in the National Council, then in the Council of States, he was elected to the Federal Council in 1989. He headed the Military Department for 7 years and the Finance Department for 8 years. In 1995 and 2002 he held the office of President of the Confederation. After his resignation, he served on the boards of Swiss Re, Nestlé́ and NZZ. At the height of the UBS crisis, he took over as Chairman of the Board for three years.