Will the upcoming “Summit for Democracy” convened by the Biden administration strengthen democracy and American leadership in the world? Or will it instead lead to heightened perceptions of U.S. hypocrisy and double standards? Is it realistic and proper to expect the United States to demand reforms from illiberal leaders of key partner states, like Andrzej Duda, Rodrigo Duterte, and Narendra Modi?
More generally, is the promotion of democracy in the world really a vital U.S. interest, and is it actually viable? Does the Summit provide a useful opportunity to reform the authoritarian political systems of U.S. rivals such as China and Russia , or does it unnecessarily worsen already tense and dangerous relations with both? Does it reflect a clear contemporary division in Asia and Europe between democratic and authoritarian states, or is it an attempt to apply the paradigm of the Cold War to a different and much more complex situation in both regions today?
To discuss these and other issues regarding the Summit, please join Anatol Lieven, Senior Research Fellow at the Quincy Institute; Daniel Nexon, Professor of Government and Foreign Service at Georgetown University; and Marlene Laruelle, Director of the Illiberalism Studies Program at George Washington University. Sarang Shidore, Director of Studies at the Quincy Institute, will moderate.
2021 Quincy Award for Responsible Statecraft: A Conversation With Representatives Jim McGovern & Peter Meijer
Senators Christopher Murphy, Mike Lee and Bernie Sanders, and Representatives Jim McGovern and Peter Meijer have been selected as the joint recipients of the 2021 Quincy Award for Responsible Statecraft.
The award recognizes the role of this bipartisan group in championing legislation that strengthens the constitutional role of Congress in exerting control over executive war powers. The National Security Reforms and Accountability Act in the House, and the National Security Powers Act in the Senate would require affirmative congressional approval for any future military interventions or declarations of national emergency, and for most arms sales. This bipartisan legislation would greatly strengthen the ability of the American people through their representatives in Congress to exercise a meaningful check on executive branch decisions about war and peace.
The award is named for John Quincy Adams, the nation’s sixth president, who 200 years and 83 American-involved wars ago warned that America ought not go “abroad in search of monsters to destroy.” The Quincy Institute established this award in 2020 to honor the individual(s) or organization whose work has done the most in the preceding year to move U.S. policy away from endless war and toward vigorous and effective diplomacy.
Join us for a conversation with Representatives Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Peter Meijer (R-MI) on their fight to reclaim Congress’s constitutional power over war making.
