On October 14, 2022, CAROLA organized a Panel Discussion presenting prof. Günter Frankenberg’s book “Authoritarianism: Constitutional Perspectives.” The rise of authoritarianism in the Americas is an increasing source of concern. Prof. Günter Frankenberg’s book can help us understand the phenomenon, its causes, and its purposes. He started his research by diving into the main factors influencing the rise of authoritarianism and whether there are any geographical boundaries to authoritarian regimes. In conclusion, authoritarianism does not know any frontiers, and authoritarian regimes usually use a constitution. Additionally, prof. Frankenberg also shows us the crucial role that law and lawyers play in both building authoritarian regimes and resisting them.

The panel was composed of prof. Günter Frankenberg, senior professor at the Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Institute for Public Law; prof. Yvonne Tew, Professor of Law at Georgetown Law Center, and prof. Mark Jia, Associate Professor of Law at Georgetown Law. The panel was moderated by Prof. Alvaro Santos, Professor of Law, and Anne Fleming, Research Professor at Georgetown Law Center.