Andreas Grassl/ Worldpolitics, Selina Kümmeringer & Carolin Hochstrat/ Democratic Spin, Julius van de Laar/Expert The Pioneer and Sina-maria Schweikle/ SZ

Important: Location Luitpold Lab - This salon will take place at Luitpold Lab, on the first floor of the Palmengarten. Entrance to Café Luitpold, Palmengarten stairway.

Security and foreign policy decisions in democratic societies depend on public understanding and trust. Today, this understanding is increasingly shaped through dsocial media and digital platforms, where debates move quickly, and interpretation often precedes explanation. The panel examines the role of strategic communication in making security policy understandable and legitimate in this environment. It looks at how complex security issues are communicated in digital spaces, how social media shapes public perception, and how political decision-making and communication intersect under these conditions. Andreas Grassl is an Austrian political influencer and journalist. On TikTok (@andreas_grassl) and Instagram (@worldpolitics_daily), he explains complex geopolitical topics in an accessible way and reaches a largeaudience. Together with David Matei, he hosts the weekly politics podcast “Grassl & Matei,” in which he analyzes current international developments.Selina Kümmeringer is the co-founder of The Democratic Spin, a political communications consultancy focused on democratic impact. With a background in political science, she has gained professional experience in the German Bundestag and at the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), working on security policy, democratic governance, and international reform processes. Alongside her professional work, she is actively engaged in security policy networks and contributes to formats that connect strategic thinking, public communication, and democratic debate. Carolin Hochstrat is co-founder of The Democratic Spin, a political communications consultancy focused on democratic impact. With a background in law, she has gained professional experience in the European Parliament, the German Bundestag, and political journalism. Alongside her entrepreneurial work, she analyzes and communicates European politics and institutions on social media and, in this context, collaborates with political institutions as an EU-focused content creator, bridging EU policymaking with political entrepreneurship. Sina-Maria Schweikle writes as a correspondent for the SZ on defence and foreign policy, keeping a close eye on the Middle East.