Raphaela Schweiger & Gerald Knaus: "Migration and Politics in a World of Disruption"

In the organizer's words:

Migration has dominated political debates in Europe for over a decade - often driven more by fear than by facts. While arrivals have declined, the political sense of crisis persists. At the same time, European economies are actively seeking workers and talent across sectors. Now, escalating conflict in the Middle East, including the war involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, is triggering displacement and human suffering. In Lebanon alone, more than 1.2 million people have been displaced as of March 2026. Predictably, warnings of new movements towards Europe are already shaping the political narrative.

Are we once again heading into a reactive cycle of alarm and short-term measures? Or, is this the moment to confront uncomfortable truths: that displacement will remain a defining feature of our time, and that Europe's migration policies remain fragmented, inconsistent, and often at odds with its own economic and humanitarian interests? What would it take to move beyond crisis politics - towards a migration system that is realistic, humane, and fit for the future? How can responsibility be shared more fairly across regions? And what concrete pathways could better align protection, stability, and opportunity?

Join us for a candid conversation on the politics, realities, and futures of migration in a rapidly changing world.

About the Speakers:

Gerald Knaus is the founding director of the think tank European Stability Initiative (ESI). He is an internationally renowned expert and advises governments and institutions across Europe on issues related to refugees, migration, and human rights. He studied philosophy, politics, and international relations in Oxford, Brussels, and Bologna; he is a founding member of the European Council on Foreign Relations and served for five years as an associate fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School - John F. Kennedy School of Governance in the United States. Gerald Knaus lives in Berlin.

Dr. Raphaela Schweiger leads the migration portfolio and oversees international cooperation efforts at the Robert Bosch Stiftung. She develops strategies and drives initiatives related to humane migration governance, local integration, climate-induced mobility, digital technologies, and resilient international cooperation. Her expertise covers a broad spectrum of migration and integration policy in Germany, Europe, and worldwide, as well as issues of global governance and transnational cooperation.

Please register via following link: https://eveeno.com/142837193.

The event will be livestreamed on YouTube. Please note that no registration is necessary for watching the livestream.

Organizers: A part of the Munich Dialogues on Democracy Speakers Series, a cooperation between The Yale Club of Germany e.V. (Munich Chapter) and the Amerikahaus - Bavarian Center for Transatlantic Relations.

Price information:

Admission is free. Please note that no registration is necessary for the livestream.