Last week the Presidents' Forum on Politics and Democracy, driven by the Graduate School of Communication, the School of Politics, Government and International Relations of the Universidad Austral and the Montevideo Circle Foundation.
The meeting was attended by former presidents Felipe González (Spain), Julio María Sanguinetti (Uruguay) and Mauricio Macri (Argentina), who shared their reflections on leadership, institutions, and democratic coexistence. Throughout the day, the three agreed on the need to recover a political center capable of building consensus in the face of extremism.
The opening ceremony was led by the rector of the Universidad Austral, Julián Esteban Rodríguez Priore, who emphasized the importance of building bridges and consensus.
In an initial exchange, Felipe González was interviewed by the journalist Carlos PagniSpeaking virtually, the former Spanish president offered his analysis of the global landscape and introduced the concept of "geopolitics of chaos" to describe international uncertainty. His words set the tone for the day: "Centrality is the space for coexistence where all democrats who think about the common good can find a place."
Then Julio María Sanguinetti spoke with alfonso santiago, director of the School of Government of the Universidad Austral, on the challenges facing contemporary democracies and Latin America.
Later, Mauricio Macri She spoke with the journalist and graduate of the Faculty of Communication Florence Donovan on the exercise of leadership in complex times. Among other topics, he highlighted the need to listen, to surround oneself with critical voices within one's own political sphere, and to find a balance between conviction and the ability to put ideas into practice.
Referring to the importance of communication in political management, Macri stated: "The balance has shifted in favor of communication." He added: "If you know how to do it, it should be easy to communicate well: it's much harder to do it than to convey it."
The meeting concluded with a panel discussion moderated by the journalist. Gonzalo AzizIn which Sanguinetti and Macri agreed on the importance of protecting political parties as spaces for institutional and democratic strengthening.
The Presidents' Forum was part of a series of activities developed within the framework of the collaboration agreement between the Graduate School of Communication of the Universidad Austral and the Montevideo Circle Foundation.
In the words of Arturo Fitz Herbert, director of the School of Postgraduate Studies in Communication: “Both the Montevideo Circle and the Universidad Austral They share an interest in putting people at the heart of their projects, valuing the contribution of the humanities, and fostering dialogue and serenity. This was the second event we organized together, and we hope to have many more meetings to promote these ideas.”
The meeting was attended by the university rector, Julián Esteban Rodríguez Priore, and the dean of the Faculty of Communication, Marcela Pizarro, as well as students, journalists, and representatives from various fields.
At the close of the day, Rodríguez Priore called for "leading with serenity and with a genuine commitment to the common good," an idea that summarized the spirit of the meeting.
