Foreign Policies of Emerging-Market Democracies: What Role for Democracy and Human Rights?

April 14, 2011 02:00 pm - April 15, 2011 04:00 pm

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The rapid growth of emerging powers in recent years has raised many questions about the future of global governance. A vital bloc within this group is that of the emerging-market democracies, the leading group of developing countries that are governed democratically. While much attention has been paid to how these powers influence the world economy, not enough consideration has been given to these powers’ foreign policies, including how they influence the advancement of human rights and democracy.

On April 14 and 15, 2011, the Managing Global Order project at Brookings and the International Forum for Democratic Studies at the National Endowment for Democracy hosted a conference on the foreign policies of emerging-market democracies and their efforts to advance human rights and democracy. Leading experts on Brazil, India, Indonesia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, and multilateral affairs explored these countries’ strategies and tactics and made suggestions for U.S. policymakers.

On April 15, Samantha Power, special advisor to the President and senior director for multilateral affairs and human rights at the National Security Council, provided commentary on the administration’s efforts to work with the emerging democracies.

After each panel, panelists took audience questions.

Participants

Thursday, April 14

2:00 p.m. – Welcome and Introductory Remarks

Ted Piccone
Senior Fellow and Deputy Director, Foreign Policy

Marc Plattner
Director, International Forum for Democratic Studies National Endowment for Democracy

2:30 p.m. – Panel 1: India

Moderator: Francine Frankel
Professor and Founding Director, Center for the Study of Contemporary India, University of Pennsylvania

Author: Pratap Bhanu Mehta
President, Center for Policy Research

Commentator: Satu Limaye
Director, East-West Center

3:30 p.m. – Break

3:45 p.m. – Panel 2: Brazil

Moderator: Diego Abente
Deputy Director, International Forum for Democratic Studies
National Endowment for Democracy

Author: Roberto Abdenur
Former Brazilian Ambassador to U.S

Commentator: Carlos Pereira
Visiting Fellow, Foreign Policy, Global Economy and Development, Latin America Initiative

4:45 p.m. – Panel 3: Turkey

Moderator: Fiona Hill
Director, Center on the United States and Europe

Author: Soli Ozel
Professor, Istanbul Bilgi University

Commentator: Ömer Taşpınar
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Center on the United States and Europe

Friday, April 15

9:00 a.m. – Panel 4: South Africa

Moderator: Akwe Amosu
Africa Advocacy Director
Open Society Policy Center

Author: Moeletsi Mbeki
Deputy Chairperson, South African Institute of International Affairs

Commentator: Pauline Baker
President, Fund for Peace

10:00 a.m. – Break

10:15 a.m. – Panel 5: Indonesia

Moderator: Brian Joseph
Senior Director, Asia and Multiregional Programs, National Endowment for Democracy

Author: Rizal Sukma
Executive Director, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Jakarta, Indonesia

Commentator: Donald Emmerson
Senior Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University

11:15 a.m. – Panel 6: South Korea

Moderator: Kongdan Oh
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies

Author: Youngshik Bong
Senior Researcher, Asan Institute for Policy Studies

Author: Chaibong Hahm
Director, Asan Institute for Policy Studies

Commentator: Scott Snyder
Director, Center for U.S.-Korea Policy, The Asia Foundation

12:15 p.m. – Lunch Keynote

Introduction: Carl Gershman
President, National Endowment for Democracy

Samantha Power
Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director, Office of Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, National Security Council

2:00 p.m. – Panel 7:Multilateral Organizations

Moderator: Richard Gowan
Associate Director, Center on International Cooperation

Author: Ted Piccone
Senior Fellow and Deputy Director, Foreign Policy

Commentator: Peggy Hicks
Global Advocacy Director, Human Rights Watch

3:00 p.m. – Break

3:15 p.m. – Conclusion: Implications for the Future of Democracy and International Politics

Moderator: Larry Diamond
Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University

Thomas Carothers
Vice President for Studies, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Robert Kagan
Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Center on the United States and Europe

Moises Naim
Senior Associate, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

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