Democracy Digest: Event

March 27, 2009: 12:30 p.m., Democracy and Leadership in Mexico, with Roderic Camp, Philip M. McKenna professor of the Pacific Rim at Claremont McKenna College. Woodrow Wilson Center, One Woodrow Wilson Plaza, Ronald Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.CONTACT: 202-691-4000; http://wilsoncenter.org

March 27 – May 30 2009: Laogai (forced prison labor) in Tibet – a special exhibition

The Laogai Museum, in cooperation with the Laogai Research Foundation (LRF) and the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), is hosting a special exhibition, Laogai in Tibet, from March 27th through May 30th, giving a pictorial overview of the past 50 years of human rights in Tibet under Chinese rule. The year 2009 marks the 50th anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising of 1959 and the exile of the Dalai Lama.

Located at 1109 M Street, NW in Washington, DC, the Laogai Museum seeks to educate the public about the atrocities of the Laogai-the system of forced labor prison camps in China, some of the most notorious of which can be found inside Tibet.

The following events are scheduled to coincide with the Laogai in Tibet special exhibition:

March 25th, 10:30 am – The Future of Tibet: Dialogue between a Tibetan and a Chinese The Heritage Foundation will host Harry Wu and Lodi Gyari, Special Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, to discuss the future of Tibet.

March 31st, 6:00 pm – Laogai in Tibet special exhibition opening reception

April 15th, 5:00 pm – Mr. Wu will join Tubten Khétsun, a Tibetan who spent two decades performing forced labor for opposing the Chinese occupation of Tibet, in discussing the current situation in China and Tibet.

Laogai in Tibet will be open to the public during the Laogai Museum’s regular operating hours: Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm, and weekends by appointment.  Contact: Megan Fluker [email protected] or 202.408.8300

March 31 2009. “The Power of Political Knowledge in an Uncertain World”. Dr Ian Bremmer, President of the Eurasia Group & Author of The Fat Tail: The Power of Political Knowledge in an Uncertain World

In recent years, investors have learned the hard truth that in the international economy, politics can matter at least as much as economic fundamentals. In his new book The Fat Tail: The Power of Political Knowledge in an Uncertain World, Ian Bremmer discusses how knowledge of political risk is essential when making business planning decisions. He argues that unexpected political difficulties occur far more often than businesses understand, and that on the distribution curve of frequency against impact, the ‘tail’ of extreme political instability is not reassuringly thin but dangerously fat.
 
By kind invitation of Paul Keetch MP, the Henry Jackson Society is pleased to be able to invite you to a discussion of political risk and international business planning with Dr Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group. Mr Bremmer will be discussing why politics now matters more than ever before; why developed states are behaving more like emerging markets; and the shift from New York, Shanghai, and Mumbai to Washington, Beijing and Delhi.

6-7pm, Committee Room 5, House of Commons, Westminster, London SW1. To attend, RSVP to [email protected]

April 1, 2009: Can Afghanistan be a Democracy? The Problem of Political Parties. Political parties are essential components of democracy, and a consolidated party system is particularly important in transitional states such as Afghanistan. But there are currently more than 100 registered political parties in Afghanistan, and at the 2005 national election only 15% of candidates declared a party affiliation.  Centre for Democratic Institutions  Associate Dr Norm Kelly has recently visited Afghanistan to assess the current state of political parties in the lead-up to elections due to be held later this year and in 2010.  In his talk, Dr Kelly provides an overview of the country’s electoral system, the ethnic make-up of Afghanistan that has such an influence on Afghan politics, and the current party system.  He discusses the prospects for achieving a strong party system in the country, and this year’s presidential election and the national assembly elections due to be held in 2010. 1 -2 pm, Crawford Lecture Theatre, Sir Roland Wilson Building*, McCoy Circuit, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.  RSVP to [email protected]

April 1, 2009: Bolivia: A Country Divided. Center for Latin American Studies and the Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis. 12:00 – 2:00 pm. Bolivia is a country that continues to be deeply divided, and Evo Morales, the country’s first indigenous president, has not emerged as the great unifier that many initially believed he would be. Under his presidency, tensions with the United States have grown, and the divisions are getting even deeper. The radical course that Bolivia is following has taken place under the aegis of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. Javier Comboni, former Minister of Finance, Bolivia; Marlene Fernandez, Former Bolivian Ambassador to the OAS and the United States; Eduardo Paz, President of the Business Chamber of Santa Cruz, Bolivia; John P. Walters, Executive Vice President, Hudson Institute; Jaime Daremblum, Director, Hudson’s Center for Latin American Studies. Hudson Institute, 1015 15th Street, NW, Sixth Floor, Washington, DC 20005. RSVP:   [email protected] or (202) 974-2403

April 1, 2009. The Obama Administration and the Americas: Agenda for Change
A New Policy Approach for the Upcoming Summit of the Americas and Beyond. On April 1, Brookings will host a panel discussion on the upcoming Summit of the Americas and the recently released book, The Obama Administration and the Americas: Agenda for Change (Brookings Institution Press, 2009), edited by Brookings Nonresident Senior Fellow Abraham F. Lowenthal, Brookings Senior Fellow and Deputy Director of Foreign Policy Theodore J. Piccone and University of Oxford Fellow Laurence Whitehead.  As President Barack Obama prepares for his regional debut at the fifth Summit of the Americas on April 17, a panel of experts will discuss prospects for cooperation on several of the toughest issues facing the hemisphere: immigration, narcotics, energy, trade and democratic development.

The Obama Administration and the Americas assembles strategic policy advice from Latin American, European and U.S. experts.  These experts recommend that the new U.S. administration renew its approach to the region and work productively with its southern neighbors, recognizing the region’s diversity but also its shared concerns and aspirations. Focusing on the hemisphere’s most challenging nations — Cuba, Colombia, Bolivia, Haiti, Mexico, and Venezuela – these regional specialists emphasize collaboration, multilateralism and pragmatism to formulate bold recommendations for President Obama.

3:30 pm – 5:00 pm. The Brookings Institution, Falk Auditorium, 1775 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC. To RSVP for this event, please call the Office of Communications at 202.797.6105 or click here.

April 6, 2009: Drugs and Democracy: Toward a Paradigm Shift.
Violence and the organized crime associated with the narcotics trade are critical problems in Latin America. Confronted with a situation that is growing worse by the day, it is imperative to reevaluate and update the strategy pursued in the region over the past 30 years.

On April 6, the Brookings Institution will host former President of Brazil Fernando Cardoso and former President of Colombia César Gaviria for the U.S. release of the report “Drugs and Democracy: Toward a Paradigm Shift” by the Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy. As co-presidents of the Commission, Presidents Cardoso and Gaviria will present findings of the report and discuss its recommendations for reducing harm caused by illegal narcotics to people, societies and public institutions.  Mauricio C?rdenas, senior fellow and director of the Latin America Initiative at Brookings, will moderate the discussion.

Following their remarks, a panel of experts will evaluate the report’s recommendations. Panelists include Kevin Casas-Zamora, Brookings Latin America Initiative senior fellow; José Miguel Insulza, secretary general at the Organization of American States; and John Walters, executive vice president at the Hudson Institute.  Moisés Na?m, editor-in-chief of Foreign Policy magazine, will moderate the discussion. After the program, panelists will take audience questions. 9:00 am – 10:30 am. The Brookings Institution, Falk Auditorium, 1775 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC. RSVP for this event at 202.797.6105 or click here.

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