A German diplomat will give a public lecture at University of Lynchburg next week to address the question, “Can Europe cope with the refugee crisis?”
David Bartels, from the German Embassy in Washington, DC, will present the talk on March 16 at 4:30 p.m. in LC’s Hopwood Auditorium.
As Europe faces a massive influx of refugees and migrants from Asia and Africa, the German diplomat will discuss some dilemmas European countries must address quickly. Questions he will address include:
- Can European nations change the situations that lead to the constant stream of refugees pouring over Europe’s borders from Syria and other countries?
- Can there be an effective way to handle the needs of the hundreds of thousands of displaced people straining the resources of their European hosts?
- Could the ordeal spell a death sentence for the whole “European project” of an integrated, peaceful, and prosperous European Union?
In addition to his public lecture, Bartels will visit several classes at LC on March 16 and 17 to hold discussions with students.
Bartels is a career diplomat who has worked at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Berlin, Budapest, and now in Washington, DC. He works in the Embassy’s Political Division and is responsible for addressing U.S. relations with Europe, including Russia, Turkey, and the Arctic region.
The event is organized by University of Lynchburg professors Dr. Georg Schwarzmann, Glenda Cash, and Dr. Marek Payerhin.
