On April 12, 2019, the Benazir Bhutto Leadership Program will host a symposium, co-sponsored with the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, to consider democratic institutions in the Middle East and South Asia against the backdrop of assessments of democracy in America.

In the course of the day, BBLP will convene experts on democratic institutions in the U.S. and abroad and bring them together with ClassACT HR73 affiliates, BBLP’s inaugural Fellows at HKS, BBLP Associates from the broader Harvard community, and the general public. Together and in panels and working groups, we will explore the motives and means to deliver on the ideals that drove Benazir Bhutto’s career and generate next steps for the BBLP community.

What's Wrong with Democracy?

The Challenges and Promise of Democracy in the Middle East, South Asia, and the U.S. 

Modern democracy was conceived as an experiment in governance and takes a multitude of forms across the globe. In South Asia, the Middle East, and in the U.S., democratic institutions are facing unprecedented challenges including the rise of populism, the influence of social media, and extreme political posturing. In light of 1) U.S. efforts to encourage and strengthen democracy abroad that have been intermittent and tempered by realpolitik, and 2) the aspirations of many from these areas for greater political participation, what might these political systems learn from one other? 

Convener

Participants 

The South Asian countries are closely tied through a common culture and ancestral heritage. They also face similar socio- economic problems, which has slowed down development at the national as well as the regional level. The student-led South Asia Engagement Group (SAEG) at the Harvard Kennedy School envisions to provide a space for conversations around common issues for the emerging leadership of the region. 

To this end, a South Asia Symposium is being organized on 13th April 2019. This is the first time that an event of this magnitude is being arranged on South Asia at the Kennedy School. The aim is to discuss common problems being faced by the region such as insufficient energy, lack of youth participation in politics, corruption in governance, the implications of regional peace and human rights in business. The intended outcome is to provide a neutral space where South Asian countries are able to continue dialogue at the policy level. Such dialogue would then be catalogued and carried forward by a youth working group comprising of enterprising young people from across the region.

For more information, please feel free to reach out to the following: 

Natasha Jehangir Khan: natasha_jehangir_khan@student.hks.harvard.edu

Amanat Boparai: amanat_boparai@student.hks.harvard.edu 

Join JusticeAid, an organization that promotes justice through the arts and is one of ClassACT's collaborators, at their concert in support of beneficiary the Immigrant Defense Center!  Featuring Los Lobos!