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
