Green School to Host Inaugural Conference on the Global Decline of Democracy | FIU News

Democracy has never felt more fragile. Even in countries that have a long history of democratic values, there are forces at work that erode the free arena that is so fundamental to a democratic society.

That’s why the Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs is hosting its first Miami Conference on Global Democracy on Monday, March 6.

“The subject of human rights and democratization is a strategic research topic at the Green School,” said Shlomi Dinar, acting dean. “A number of our professors work in this area, and many of our institutes, centers and programs focus on democracy through different lenses. As global citizens and supporters of democratic principles, we have a responsibility to understand the underlying causes, motivations and methods of the backsliding of democracy we see around the world.

Freedom House, which tracks democracy scores around the world, reports that over the past 16 years, those scores have steadily declined, with more countries seeing declines than those seeing gains in democracy.

• In Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Alliance of Young Democrats-Hungarian Civic Union party pushed through constitutional and legal changes that allowed it to consolidate control over the country’s independent institutions, including the judiciary.
• In Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega won re-election in 2021 thanks to escalating attacks on civil society, intimidation of political opposition members and questionable electoral processes.
• In Senegal, one of Africa’s most stable electoral democracies, politically motivated prosecutions of opposition leaders and changes to electoral laws have made elections less free and fair.
• And the Chinese Communist Party continues to use its might to undermine democracy across the world as it pursues its interests.

The conference will also look at countries that are gaining in democracy. “There are also successes,” Dinar said, “and we will learn from those successes to think about how we can strengthen democracy.”

The Miami Conference on Global Democracy is presented in conjunction with the George W. Bush Institute; the Jarl Hjalmarson Foundation, a Swedish organization that promotes freedom and democracy in Europe; and the Wilfried Martens Center for European Studies, a Brussels-based think tank that focuses on EU politics and advancement.

In addition to expert professors from the Green School, the list of distinguished speakers includes Christopher Walker, vice president for studies and analysis at the National Endowment for Democracy; Jakub Klepal executive director of the Forum 2000 Foundation; Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Carol Guzy; Martin Kimani, Permanent Representative of Kenya to the United Nations; Brian A. Nichols, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs; and Nancy Okail, President and CEO of the Center for International Policy. In keynote addresses and panels, these speakers and others will reflect on the political movements and social tensions that have led to a weakening of democracy and how this alarming trend can be reversed.

“Our mission at Green School is to prepare our students to be the changemakers of tomorrow,” Dinar said. “In this lecture, we take a close look at the world they will inherit. I hope they will learn lessons that as future policymakers, advisers, presidents and prime ministers, they can use to strengthen democracy.

He added: “Our plan is to present the conference each year as a major green school event. Democracy is one of our areas of expertise, so we are a natural host. And Miami, as a global and cosmopolitan city, is the right gathering place for such an important conversation.

This event is free and open to the public. More information about the conference and a registration link are available here.