Democracy Rising?, a two-day conference on the challenges of democracy transition and development in countries emerging from authoritarian regimes, will take place on September 13 and 14, 2012 at the University of California, Berkeley. Invited panelists include scholars and practitioners from a variety of disciplines, as well as civil society activists. Faculty, students and interested members of the public are cordially invited to attend.
The conference will illuminate challenges inherent in the construction of inclusive democratic governance and will advance research across disciplines. Discussions will benefit practitioners engaged in democratic development on the ground and policy-makers who seek to advance open government.
The conference is sponsored by the Berkeley Center for Middle Eastern Studies; the Institute of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies; the Miller Institute for Global Challenges and the Law, Boalt School of Law; the Religion, Politics, and Globalization Program; the Institute of Governmental Studies; and the Institute of International Studies.
Contact: Alan Unger at afunger [at] berkeley [dot] edu
[Photo courtesy Louis Papa]
Thursday afternooon, September 13, 2012
1:00 pm Welcoming Remarks
- George Breslauer, Professor of Political Science and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, UC Berkeley
- Jack Citrin, Professor of Political Science and Director, Institute of Governmental Studies, UC Berkeley
- Pradeep Chhibber, Professor of Political Science and Director, Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley
1:20-2:00 pm Global Trends in Democratic Transitions
- M. Steven Fish, Professor of Political Science and Co-Director, Religion, Politics, and Globalization Program, UC Berkeley
- Jeremy Kinsman, Resident International Scholar, Institute of Governmental Studies, UC Berkeley; Project Director, Council for a Community of Democracies and The Diplomat's Handbook; former Canadian Ambassador to the Russian Federation and the CIS
2:00-2:15 pm Break
2:15-3:45 pm Democracy Engagement and Civic Participation
Moderator: Professor of Political Science and Director, Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley
- Robert LaGamma, President, Council for a Community of Democracies
- Ed O’Brien, Founder, Street Law, Inc.
- Darry Sragow, Partner, SNR Denton
- S. Y. Quraishi, former Chief Elections Commissioner, Government of India
3:45-4:00 pm Break
4:00-5:30 pm Post-Electoral Challenges: Managing Pluralism Within the Rule of Law
Moderator: Jack Citrin, Professor of Political Science and Director, Institute of Governmental Studies, UC Berkeley
- David Caron, Professor and Faculty Co-Chair, Miller Institute for Global Challenges and the Law, Boalt School of Law, UC Berkeley
- Danielle N. Lussier, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Grinnell College
- Jason Wittenberg, Associate Professor of Political Science, UC Berkeley
6:30 pm Panelists' Reception
7:00 pm Dinner for Panelists & Guests
Friday, September 14, 2012
8:30-9:00 am Continental Breakfast
Morning Sessions: The Arab Spring
9:00-10:30 am Emblematic Tunisia
Moderator: Emily Gottreich, Associate Adjunct Professor of History and Middle Eastern Studies and Co-Chair, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, UC Berkeley
- Moncef Cheikhrouhou, Member and Deputy Chair of the Finance Committee, Tunisian Constituent Assembly
- Eva Bellin, Professor of Arab Politics, Crown Center for Middle East Studies, Brandeis University
- Laurence Michalak, Fellow, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, UC Berkeley (ret.) and contributor, The Diplomats’ Handbook
10:30-10:45 am Break
10:45-12:15 pm Egypt and the Wider Middle East and North Africa
Moderator: Peter Bartu, Senior Mediation Expert, UN (ret.) and Visiting Scholar, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, UC Berkeley
- Shibley Telhami, Professor of Peace and Development, University of Maryland and Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
- Robert Springborg, Professor of National Security Affairs, School of International Graduate Studies, Monterey
- Mahmoud El-Gamal, Professor of Economics and Statistics, Rice University
12:15-1:15 pm Luncheon
Afternoon Sessions: Russia in Transition and the Look Forward
1:15-2:45 pm The Russian Democratic Revolution 1989-1996
Moderator: George W. Breslauer, Professor of Political Science and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, UC Berkeley
- Jeremy Kinsman, Resident International Scholar, Institute of Governmental Studies, UC Berkeley; Project Director, Council for a Community of Democracies and The Diplomat's Handbook; former Canadian Ambassador to the Russian Federation and the CIS
- Edward W. Walker, Adjunct Associate Professor of Political Science and Executive Director, Program in Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies, UC Berkeley
- Stephen E. Hanson, Professor of Government and Vice Provost, College of William and Mary
2:45-3:00 pm Break
3:00-4:30 pm Putinism and Russian Protest
Moderator: Yuri Slezkine, UC Berkeley
- M. Steven Fish, Professor of Political Science and Co-Director, Religion, Politics, and Globalization Program, UC Berkeley
- Masha Lipman, Expert, Society and Regions Program, Carnegie Moscow Center and Editor, Pro et Contra
4:30-4:45 pm Break
4:45-5:15 pm Closing Session