Revived Futures: Why We Turn to the Past in Times of Crisis

------- English below ------- “Nostalgia is not a strategy.” With these words, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney warned at the 2026 Munich Security Conference against relying on idealised versions of the past to solve today’s challenges.

The statement reflects a widespread belief that looking to the past is primarily emotional, backward-looking and of little use when we face the future.

But is that really true?

With this panel discussion, we invite interested guests to think differently about the role of the past in public life.