Events

October 14, 2009. Putting Smart Power to Work

The US Global Leadership Coalition is hosting an interactive discussion around the State Department’s new Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR); a blueprint of a smart power approach to U.S. foreign policy. Click here to RSVP. Venue: Willard Hotel, 1401 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC. Program includes: 8:00 A.M. – Breakfast and Keynote; 9:00 A.M. – Panel Discussion moderated by Judy Woodruff, Senior Correspondent, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. Panelists: Jacob Lew, Deputy Secretary of State; Anne Marie Slaughter, Director of Policy and Planning, U.S. Department of State; Alonzo Fulgham, USAID Acting Administrator.

October 14, 2009: Internet Freedom in Vietnam. 11:30-12:30 pm, 121 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC.

To most of the world, the Internet is an amazing medium to share information, promote social and economic development, and bring people together.  However, the government of Vietnam sees this open source of communication as a threat.  As a result the Government of Vietnam has taken numerous actions to restrict internet freedom and censor private blogs in addition to imprisoning numerous Vietnamese bloggers and pro-democracy activists for peacefully advocating their views over the Internet. The panelists discussing this important issue will be: Sophie Richardson, advocacy director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia Division, and an expert on political reform, democratization and human rights in Asia; Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Bich is the Chairman of the National Congress of Vietnamese Americans, former director of the Vietnamese service of Radio Free Asia, and an accomplished author and translator of Vietnamese news and literature; Robert Guerra is the Project Director of the Global Internet Freedom Program at Freedom House; Dan Hoang is spokesperson for Viet Tan, a pro-democracy party with members in Vietnam. Before becoming a full-time democracy activist, he worked as an investment banker for over 10 years. Contact Annie Yea: annie.yea@mail.house.gov. Full details here.

October 14, 2009. Freedom of Expression in the Americas: Restricted Media in Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Nicaragua. Organized by the Center for International Media Assistance and the Latin America and Caribbean Program at the National Endowment for Democracy. Featuring: Milton Coleman, The Washington Post; Carlos Lauría, Committee to Protect Journalists; Carlos Ponce, Consorcio Desarrollo y Justicia (Development and Justice Consortium); Silvio Waisbord, George Washington University. Moderated by: Don Podesta, Center for International Media Assistance. 

Radio stations, television channels, and newspapers in several Latin American countries have been facing increasing opposition from their leaders in recent months.  In Venezuela, which has one of the most authoritarian governments in the region, legislation has been proposed to further restrict the country’s news media by threatening imprisonment of journalists and other media workers for so-called “media crimes.”  Soon after this proposal, the Ecuadorian government put forward a similar communications law that would limit freedom of expression. In Bolivia and Nicaragua, journalists critical of the government have faced smear campaigns by official government media outlets that intend to discredit independent reporters.

 How will Venezuelan and Ecuadorian citizens react if these new restrictive laws are passed? Will leaders of Bolivia and Nicaragua also attempt to pass media legislation if Venezuela and Ecuador are successful? How can the international community help limit the repression of media in the region?

12-2:00 p.m. (Lunch served from 12:00–12:30 p.m.). Venue: National Endowment for Democracy, 1025 F Street, N.W., Suite 800, Washington, DC 20004. RSVP to CIMA@ned.org

October 14, 2009. 10 a.m. – “Promoting Tolerance and Understanding in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Region: The Role of the Personal Representatives.” Hearing at Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission). Speakers: Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md.; Rabbi Andrew Baker, personal representative on combating anti-Semitism appointed by OSCE; Adil Akhmetov, personal representative on combating intolerance and discrimination against Muslims appointed by OSCE; and Mario Mauro, personal representative on combating racism, xenophobia and discrimination appointed by OSCE. Venue: SVC-208/209, U.S. Capitol, Capitol Hill, Washington, DC. Contact: Lale Mamaux, 202-225-1901

October 14, 2009. “Looking Across the Pond: The U.S. From Europe.” Speakers: Francois Lafond, director of the Paris Office at the German Marshall Fund of the United States; Alina Inayeh, director of the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation at the German Marshall Fund of the United States; Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, director of the Ankara Office at the German Marshall Fund of the United States; Pavol Demes, director of Central and Eastern Europe at the German Marshall Fund of the United States; Ivan Vejvoda, executive director of the Balkan Trust for Democracy at the German Marshall Fund of the United States; Heike MacKerron, senior director of Europe of the German Marshall Fund of the United States; and Peter Van Praagh, senior director of foreign policy and civil society at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. 12 noon. The German Marshall Fund of the United States, 1700 18th Street NW, Washington, D.C. RSVP to Margaret Monroe at, 202-683-2632 or fpintern2@gmfus.org

October 14, 2009.  The Origins of Accountable Government. Speaker: Francis Fukuyama, director of the SAIS International Development Program, as part of his four-part lecture series on “Getting to Denmark: Where the State, Rule of Law and Accountable Government Come From.” 12.30 pm, SAIS, Nitze Building, 1740 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Kenney Auditorium, Washington, D.C. Contact: Felisa Neuringer Klubes, 202-663-5626, fklubes@jhu.edu; http://www.sais-jhu.edu [Note: RSVP to 202-349-0985 or scolby2@jhu.edu]

October 14, 2009 “Will the Kirchner Government in Argentina Survive?” Speaker: Silvia Pisani, U.S. correspondent for La Nacion. 12:45 p.m. – The Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies’ (SAIS) Latin American Studies Program, Nitze Building, 1740 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Room 517, Washington, D.C. RSVP to 202-663-5734 or jzurek@jhu.edu]

October 14, 2009. “Public, Civil-Society, Police: Joint Problem Solving to Strengthen Rule of Law in Nepal.” Speakers: USIP Nepal Representative Karon Cochran; USIP Nepal consultant Shobhakar Budhathoki; Surendra Shah, senior superintendent of the Nepal Police; and Colette Rausch, acting director of the Rule of Law Center of Innovation at The United States Institute of Peace (USIP). 2pm,  USIP, 1200 17th Street NW, Washington, D.C. RSVP: Allison Sturma, 202-429-4725, asturma@usip.org

October 14, 2009. “An Overview of the Future Political and Security Challenges in Iraq,” with Laith Kubba, president of the Iraq National Group. 8 p.m.  The Al-Hewar Center, 124 Park Street SE, Vienna, Va. rsvp: 703-281-6277, alhewar@alhewar.com; http://www.alhewar.com [NB This event will take place in Arabic.]

October 15, 2009. “Engaging the Muslim World: Challenges and Opportunities.” Speakers: Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn.; Abiodun Williams, director of the Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention at USIP; Daniel Brumberg, director of the Muslim World Initiative at USIP; Dina Shehata, senior researcher at Al-Ahram Center in Cairo; Omer Taspinar, non-resident scholar at the Saban Center of the Brookings Institution; Palwasha Hassan, Afghanistan fellow at USIP; and David Smock, vice president of the Center for Mediation and Conflict Resolution at the Religion and Peacemaking Center of Innovations. 9:15 a.m. – USIP, 1200 17th Street NW, Washington, D.C. RSVP: Leslie Thompson, 202-429-3896, lthompson@usip.org; or Lauren Sucher, lsucher@usip.org (Media); 202-429-3822, info@usip.org; http://www.usip.org

October 15, 2009. Legislative Power in Emerging African Democracies. The International Forum for Democratic Studies & The Center for Strategic and International Studies invite you to a luncheon presentation celebrating the publication of “Legislative Power in Emerging African Democracies” by Joel D. Barkan, Senior Associate, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, University of Iowa, with comments by Peter M. Lewis (Johns Hopkins University) and Stephen N. Ndegwa (World Bank).

12:00 noon–2:00 p.m. (Lunch served 12:00–12:15 pm) Venue: NED, 1025 F Street NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20004. RSVP (acceptances only) with name and affiliation by Tuesday, October 13 to forum@ned.org.

Joel D. Barkan will discuss his new book Legislative Power in Emerging African Democracies, in which he and his collaborators explore the development of a defining yet neglected institution of democratic governance. The study compares the development of national legislatures in six African countries and addresses the puzzle of why variations in the extent of legislative authority and quality of legislative performance across the continent are only partially related, if at all, to overall levels of democratization. The book also considers the implications for U.S. and other donor assistance programs in support of democratization. Peter M. Lewis and Stephen N. Ndegwa will provide comments.

Thursday, October 15, 2009. Democracy, Totalitarianism, and the Culture of Freedom

The National Endowment for Democracy and The Embassy of Poland invite you to attend a memorial symposium celebrating the life and thought of Leszek Kolakowski (1927-2009). Moderator: Zbigniew Brzezinski, CSIS. Panelists: Richard Pipes, Harvard University; George Weigel, Ethics and Public Policy Center; Abbas Milani, Stanford University; Nadia Diuk, National Endowment for Democracy

4:00 – 6:00 pm. Reception will follow program. Venue: National Endowment for Democracy 1025 F Street, NW Suite 800, Washington, DC  20004. RSVP (acceptances only) to rsvp@ned.org

Polish philosopher Leszek Kolakowski will be remembered as the thinker who, more profoundly than any intellectual since George Orwell, explained the origins and deformities of communist totalitarianism and the threat it posed to human freedom.  At the core of his thinking was an understanding of how the utopian urge to overcome “the contingency of human existence” led inevitably to communist despotism, just as the justification of this new order by both the communist regimes and their apologists around the world produced a culture of unparalleled duplicity and moral corruption.  From this understanding flowed his distinctive sense of irony, as he dissected and exposed with piercing wit the foundation of lies upon which the whole system of communism ultimately rested.  But Kolakowski was more than an opponent of communism.  He was a defender of human freedom as “the most precious treasure in life” and the basis on which society can progress and flourish.  He was also a fighter for freedom, having paid the price of exile for his beliefs. He served from exile as the Western representative of OKNO, the underground organization that brought together the principal cultural institutions through which Polish democrats worked to establish an independent civil society.  His devotion to freedom was such that, even in the spring of 1989 when freedom’s advance seemed unstoppable, he warned a NED-sponsored world conference in Washington of the need to remain vigilant, cautioning that “freedom is always vulnerable and its cause is never safe.”  

October 15, 2009 “Bosnia and Herzegovina: A Model of Democratic and Pluralist Society.”

Speaker: Zeljko Komsic, chairman and Croat member of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s tripartite presidency. 12:45 p.m. – The George Washington University (GWU) Elliott School of International Affairs, Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies and Professionalism in European, Eurasian and Russian Studies, GWU Elliott School, 1957 E Street NW, The State Room, 7th Floor, Washington, D.C. RSVP to ieresgwu@gwu.edu

October 16^th, 2009. A Celebration of World Youth Day for Democracy: Voices of Youth Activism, featuring Carl Gershman, President of the National Endowment for Democracy; Kingsley Bangwell, Director of Youngstars Development Foundation, Nigeria; Esraa Rashid, leader of My Vote is My Call, a campaign in Egypt. 3:30 – 5:00pm. National Endowment for Democracy, 1025 F St, NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20004. Organized by the World Youth Movement for Democracy. RSVP (acceptances only) to bethd@ned.org

In anticipation of the celebration of World Youth Day for Democracy (October 18), please join us for a conversation on youth activism featuring three unique perspectives.  Carl Gershman will highlight the work of several NED grantees working on youth issues, including cross-border efforts, and the importance of building international solidarity for their work; Kingsley Bangwell will offer advice on how to strategically widen youth awareness and involvement in the political process and how to engage youth through leadership development; and Esraa Rashid will speak about political activism in repressive countries, highlighting the obstacles youth face under constant restrictions imposed by their government. All three speakers offer very inspiring stories and can share useful knowledge with those involved in democracy work. Their presentations will be followed by a question-and-answer session.

October 16^th, 2009. Countering Democratic Regression in a Newly Divided Europe and Eurasia. Venue: Johns Hopkins University SAIS, 1717 Massachusetts Avenue, NW,  Room 500, Washington, D.C.

Co-Sponsored by: S. Richard Hirsch Chair in European Studies, Johns Hopkins University SAIS; Foreign Policy Research Institute; German Marshall Fund of the United States; George Washington University Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies; Center for Transatlantic Relations, Johns Hopkins University SAIS. Sessions include: 9:00-10:30 Democratization in Post-communist Europe/Eurasia: Divergent Trends and Geopolitical Implications. Speakers: Adrian Basora, Director, Project on Democratic Transitions, FPRI; Richard Kauzlarich, National Intelligence Officer for Central and Eastern Europe; Charles Gati, Johns Hopkins University SAIS; Kurt Volker, Center for Transatlantic Relations, and Former US Ambassador to NATO. 11:00-12:30 Electoral Revolutions: Why the Regression? Speakers: Lucan Way, University of Toronto; Mitchell Orenstein, Johns Hopkins University SAIS; Pavol Demes, Director, Central and Eastern Europe, German Marshall Fund of the United States; Henry Hale, George Washington University IERES. 1:00-2:30  The European Union and Democratization: Speakers: Milada Vachudova, UNC Chapel Hill; Ivan Vejvoda, Director, Belgrade Office, German Marshall Fund of the US; Katarina Mathernova, Deputy Director General, European Union. 3:00-4:30 Implications for US Policy: William Burke-White, Department of State Policy Planning Staff; David Kramer, GMF; former Asst. Sec. of State for Democracy and Human Rights; Ken Yalowitz, Dartmouth University; former US Ambassador to Belarus and Georgia; Daniel Hamilton, Johns Hopkins University Center for Transatlantic Relations. 4:30-5:00 Closing Comments – Adrian Basora and Mitchell Orenstein.

October 20, 2009. Declining Media Freedom in the South Caucasus

The Center for International Media Assistance and the Europe and Eurasia Program at the National Endowment for Democracy invite you to a luncheon discussion featuring: Esther Dyson, EDventure Holdings; Nino Japaradze, University of Oxford; Persephone Miel, Internews Network. Moderated by: Nadia Diuk, National Endowment for Democracy. 12-2:00 p.m. (Lunch served from 12:00–12:30 p.m.). Venue: National Endowment for Democracy, 1025 F Street, N.W., Suite 800, Washington, DC 20004. RSVP (acceptances only) with name and affiliation by Friday, October 16 to CIMA@ned.org

Recent arrests of prominent bloggers in Azerbaijan, government control of TV stations in Georgia, and legal restrictions combined with continued violence against journalists in Armenia highlight the repressive media environment in the South Caucasus. Freedom of the Press, an annual survey of media independence in 195 countries and territories conducted by Freedom House, has given all three countries increasingly worse media freedom scores over the past few years. What space, if any, exists for independent reporting in each of these countries? Could a proposed media law restricting freedom of speech in Azerbaijan be evidence of greater legal restraints to come? Can citizens go beyond state-controlled media to access alternative sources of news and information? What will lead citizens to demand and support a free and open press? How can U.S. policy makers help reverse the course of declining press freedom in the region?

October 27, 2009. Democracy That Delivers. Organized by the Center for International Private Enterprise.

October 28, 2009. The Impact of the Economic Crisis on Central and Eastern Europe. Speaker: Boris Begovic, Center for Liberal-Democratic Studies (Serbia), with comments by Mitchell A. Orenstein, Johns Hopkins University.  Organized by the International Forum for Democratic Studies & The Center for International Private Enterprise.

When Romania and Bulgaria joined their Central and Eastern European neighbors in the European Union in early 2007, prospects for economic growth and stability in the region looked bright. Then, the September 2008 financial crisis in the U.S. quickly spread and produced a global recession whose effects are still felt today. Central and Eastern European countries were hit particularly hard: The average decline in GDP in these economies is expected to reach 6 percent in 2009, with some countries experiencing losses in the double digits. Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall and after two decades of successful political and economic reform, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe are facing difficult questions: Why have they been so vulnerable to the economic downturn? What went wrong? Did they exceed the “speed limit”? Did convergence with the EU play a role? Is their growth model damaged beyond repair, and is it time to seek a new model? What is the political impact of the crisis, and how will it affect democracy and governance? Join us as we discuss these questions and more with Boris Begovic, with comments by Mitchell Orenstein.