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Since Hamas' unexpected victory in the Palestinian elections on January 25, 2006, some policy analysts are urging the Bush administration to slow down democratization efforts. On Wednesday, March 8, leading experts on the Middle East with differing views will discuss the current situation.
Participants include: Columbia Professors Jack Snyder, Gary Sick, Lincoln Mitchell; University of Pennsylvania Professor Edward Mansfield; Hunter Professor Eva Bellin; Freedom House President Adrian Karatnycky; Princeton Professor Amaney Jamal; Robin Hood Foundation Program Director Michael Weinstein.
The event will be held from 9:30 a.m. to noon at Columbia's Saltzman Institute of War & Peace Studies School of International and Public Affairs Building, 15th Floor, Room 1512.
The first panel, at 9:30a.m., will examine whether the pursuit of democratization under the current circumstances is more likely to lead to political instability and violence than to peace and economic development. Should the promotion of democracy stress gradual reforms initiated by governments or by pressures from civil society? Is democratization a wise policy for the United States to pursue?
The second panel, which begins at 10:45 a.m., will examine the prospects for democratization in the Middle East and its likely consequence for peace and stability in the region.
Advance Registration with name and affiliation is required and can be done by emailing djo2103@columbia.edu.For additional information on this event, visit http://www.columbia.edu/cu/siwps/.
March 8, 2006 Democracy Panel at Columbia
SPEAKER DETAILS:
Jack Snyder, Robert and Renee Belfer Professor of International Relations, Columbia University – His research centers on international relations theory and nationalism. He has authored several works on the topic, including Electing to Fight: Why Emerging Democracies Go to War (with Edward Mansfield); From Voting to Violence: Democratization and Nationalist Conflict; and Civil Wars, Insecurity, and Intervention.
Edward Mansfield, Hum Rosen Professor of Political Science, University of Pennsylvania - An expert on the relationship of economics, security, and statecraft, Professor Mansfield's writings include Electing to Fight: Why Emerging Democracies Go to War (with Jack Snyder); The Political Economy of Regionalism; Power, Trade, and War; Power and the Purse: Economic Statecraft, Interdependence, and National Security (co-edited with Jean-Marc Blanchard and Norrin M. Ripsman); and "Democratization, Nationalism, and War."
Amaney Jamal, Assistant Professor, Princeton University - In addition to studying both the Muslim and Arab-American experience in the United States, Professor Jamal has co-authored a number of articles on issues as varied as the influence of regime type on elections, women and public office in the Arab world, and a forthcoming book on civic participation and associational life in the Arab world.
Adrian Karatnycky, President of Freedom House and coordinator of the annual "Freedom in the World" Survey – His work deals with both the theoretical and specific aspects of democratization. Writings include "Muslim Countries and the Democracy Gap;" "Democracies on the Rise, Democracies at Risk;" and " Ukraine's Orange Revolution."
Lincoln Mitchell, Arnold A. Saltzman Assistant Professor in the Practice of International Relations, Columbia University – Before joining the faculty, Professor Mitchell was a practitioner of political development, specifically in the areas of political party development and elections in such countries as Palestine and Bahrain, and his views have been discussed on such media outlets as The New York Times, MSNBC, El Diario, and others.
Gary Sick, Senior Research Scholar and Adjunct Professor, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University – He previously served on the National Security Council under three former presidents and as a director of Gulf/2000, an international research project on political, economic and security developments in the Persian Gulf. Currently a member of the board of Human Rights Watch in New York and the Chairman of the Advisory Committee of Human Rights Watch/Middle East.
Michael Weinstein, Program Director of the Robin Hood Foundation, an organization concerned with poverty reduction in New York City. He has authored "A Critique of Contemporary Democratic Theories;" and "The Democracy Advantage: How Democracies Promote Prosperity and Peace," and has co-authored "Why Democracies Excel."
Eva Bellin, Associate Professor, Hunter College – Was Previously an associate professor of government and a faculty associate of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University. Recent writings include "The Political-Economic Conundrum: The Affinity Economic and Political Reform in the Middle East and North Africa" and "Doubts about Democracy."
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