3.23.11: Resilient Authoritarianism and the Future of Democracy Promotion in the Middle East

The Georgetown Center for Democracy and Civil Society and the Master of Arts in Democracy and Governance presents

Resilient Authoritarianism and the Future of Democracy Promotion in the Middle East

on Wednesday, March 23, at 3pm

Even as the political landscape of the Middle East is undergoing change, authoritarianism will remain a prominent and formidable presence in the lives of millions of citizens across the Middle East.  The study of authoritarian governance remains essential for our understanding of the political dynamics and inner workings of regimes across the region as they struggle to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances.  Focusing on two of the region’s durable authoritarian regimes, Syria and Iran, this panel will explore the sources of authoritarian resilience in the Middle East, and highlight the adaptive strategies these two regimes have used to preserve their grip on power.

For more information and to RSVP, click here.

“Pakistan’s Media” Webcast

Once again a friend at USIP contacted me to inform me of an event being webcast by their Center of Innovation for Science, Technology & Peacebuilding.  The event is to focus on Pakistan’s broadcast media and should be a quality opportunity to engage panelist and participants on issues of Pakistani society. Information on the event is listed below, enjoy!

Live Webcast and Online discussion: Pakistan’s Media: Dissecting its Coverage of Extremism, Terrorism and Pakistan-U.S. Relations

December 6, 2010, 2:30pm – 4:00pm EST

Location:
U.S. Institute of Peace
2nd floor
1200 17th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036

Click Here to find a full list of speakers and more details about the event.

Webcast: This event will be webcast live beginning at 2:30pm EDT on December 6, 2010 at www.usip.org/webcast.html.  Online viewers will be able to engage panelists and each other through live chat and Twitter discussions (hashtag #usippak).

Predominantly state-run until a decade ago, Pakistan’s broadcast media has transformed into a largely independent and proactive presence in Pakistani society. Complementing this is the rich vernacular and English language print coverage that the country has possessed for years. Combined, the print and broadcast outlets have strengthened a significant element of Pakistan’s civil society as the media is now extremely vocal in covering international and national issues, heightening public awareness and critical understanding.

Perhaps most pertinent to understand from the U.S. perspective is the Pakistani media’s coverage of issues pertaining to extremism, the war in Afghanistan, and more broadly, the Pakistan-U.S. relationship. Often, there have been concerns raised by outside observers that Pakistani media outlets paint too negative a picture of the Pakistan-U.S. bilateral ties and that major Pakistani media outlets have not taken a strong enough stance against extremist outfits. Is this criticism true? What are the motivations and constraints which lead the Pakistani media to determine how they present issues? And what are the nuances and differences in messaging between broadcast and print, and vernacular and English language media?

This event, which will seek to answer these questions, is being co-sponsored by USIP’s Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention and USIP’s Center of Innovation for Media, Conflict and Peacebuilding.

“Mapping the Russian Blogosphere” Webcast

A friend at USIP contacted me earlier today to let me know about a webcast being hosted by their Center of Innovation for Science, Technology & Peacebuilding.  The event seems like a great opportunity to engage panelist and other participants on the subject, and so thought I’d share it here with the Democracy & Society crowd.

Live Webcast and Online discussion: Mapping the Russian Blogosphere

Experts from Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society and Morningside Analytics will present their new research on the Russian blogosphere, while prominent Russia experts and notable bloggers will respond. The research team mapped this extensive social network, analyzing over 11,000 Russian language blogs to understand how politics is discussed, by whom, and if there is evidence of political and social mobilization in the blogosphere. The team also analyzed the blogosphere’s place within the overall Russian online and traditional media ecology, including discussion of top political YouTube videos.

Click Here to find a full list of speakers and more details about the event.

This event is part of USIP’s ongoing Blogs and Bullets initiative that examines the relationship between online discourse and violent conflict.

Webcast: This event will be webcast live beginning at 10:00am EDT on October 19, 2010 at www.usip.org/webcast.html.  Online viewers will be able to engage panelists and each other through live chat and Twitter discussions (hashtag: #usipblogs).

D&S gets some linky love

Election Guide Digest links to the CDACS page and the newest volume of Democracy and Society, which includes papers from CDACS’ Dec. 10, 2009 conference “Demonstrators and Dictators: Sharing Strategies on Repression and Reform.”  The full issue is currently available at CDACS and the D&S.com Journal page, individual articles will be coming soon.

Event: Emerging Leaders for Democracy

In Fall 2009, The Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) hosted conferences in Amman, Beirut, and Cairo to examine the political dynamics in the Middle East.  Participants developed recommendations for U.S. foreign policy initiatives for encouraging meaningful democratic political reform. The Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the United States Institute for Peace, and Georgetown’s Democracy and Governance Program sponsored the conferences.

On January 19th, 2010, four emerging leaders working in the Middle East will discuss the recommendations formed at the POMED conferences, as well as their own experiences.  The participants will share their thoughts on issues of political change in the Middle East, with a response from Kenneth Wollack, President of the National Democratic Institute (NDI).

When: Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

5 pm

Where: Mortara Center for International for International Studies

3600 N Street, NW

Washington, D.C. 20057

Reception to follow