Practitioner Talks

The Sié Center brings prominent practitioners from governments, civil society groups, activist organizations and beyond to the Korbel School for a set time — whether several days, weeks, or a quarter — to share practical insight and expertise with students and faculty. Depending on the length of their stay, practitioners may teach a class, guest lecture, share field knowledge or policy conundrums, and give career advice to students. They also give a public talk to share their experiences.

• 2022

  Keeping Civilians Safe: A Conversation on Civilian Protection Advocacy and Policies

  November 2, 2022 | Maglione Hall 

  Professor Oliver Kaplan hosted Practitioner-in-Residence Dan Mahanty from the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) to discuss the state of civilian protection policies around the globe. The conversation reflected on current research and advocacy efforts to mitigate harm to civilians in conflict as well as the U.S. Department of Defense’s recently announced civilian harm mitigation plan. The event was made possible by the Carnegie Corporation’s support of the Sié Center’s program on Responsible Public Engagement.

   

  City Diplomacy: Local Leadership in Global Governance

  April 27, 2022 | The Forum 

  Watch the recording of the talk here. 

  The Scrivner Institute of Public Policy and the Sié Chéou-Kang Center for International Security and Diplomacy at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies hosted a discussion on the role of city leadership in global governance with Dr. Joel Day, a researcher, lecturer, public official, and Korbel PhD alum whose research concerns how global nonstate actors like cities shape global governance. While cities are increasingly relevant global actors, both the motivations and practices of city global engagement are understudied. Cities are capable of advancing human security agendas, such as climate security, economic security, and health security, and when they work together they may constitute international regimes of micro geography. The fact that global engagement is growing for cities, yet most cities have not set a “grand strategy” for international affairs or set aside more of their budget for formally engaging in public diplomacy, means that cities may be ineffective and haphazard in their pursuits. This talk presents a framework for both more precise theory and practice of city diplomacy: For the aspiring “glocal” leader, such as a future mayor or city manager, this talk presents a roadmap for establishing a global agenda for a city. The practice of local to global diplomacy also presents new puzzles for scholars and the talk will outline a data-driven research agenda to better understand this new set of governance actors. With the aim of building the public policy field of "comparative municipalism" the talk provides a substantive blueprint for city officials and scholars alike, envisioning the future of global city engagement grounded in the security and welfare of residents.

   

  Electing for Peace? Democracy and Peacebuilding into the 21st Century

  March 9, 2022 | Hybrid

  Watch a recording of the talk here. 

  Elections are typically considered to be non-violent procedures used for reconciling conflict within a society. Yet, at times, electoral processes end up being conflict-inducing and are associated with the underlying challenges of social polarization, deep and lasting inequalities, and vulnerabilities to violence. Korbel Institute for Comparative and Regional Studies and the Sié Chéou-Kang Center for International Security and Diplomacy hosted an event featuring a panel of experts who engaged in a timely and important discussion on the complex dynamics of elections and peace. 

   

  International Women's Day 2022: Securing Women's Participation in Politics 

  March 8, 2022 | Virtual 

  Watch a recording of the event here. 

  The Institute for Comparative and Regional Studies and the Sié Chéou-Kang Center for International Security and Diplomacy hosted a special virtual event on International Women’s Day featuring a conversation on women’s participation in elections around the world. International IDEA’s Head of Electoral Processes, Therese Pearce Lannela, was joined by professors Deborah Avant and Hilary Matfess from the University of Denver to address pressing questions about election quotas, women’s participation in elections, and more.

   

  Shaping a Sustainable Future: Women's Activism for Environmental Justice 

  March 6, 2022 | Virtual 

  Watch the recording of the talk here. 

  Climate change is one of the greatest threats facing humanity. This year, International Women’s Day focused on highlighting the efforts of women and girls around the world to ensure a sustainable future for all. In recognition of International Women’s Day, the Sié Center's Inclusive Global Leadership Initiative (IGLI) and the Environmental Sustainability Initiative at the Korbel School of International Studies invited members of the IGLI network to discuss their activism and the role that grassroots activists and women’s movements have played in addressing the climate crisis and working towards environmental justice. Our panel discussed the links between environmental activism and other social justice movements.

  Panelists:

  - Olankike Olugboji - The founder of the Women’s Initiative for Sustainable Environment (WISE), a non-profit organization that advances grassroots women’s representation, active participation, and leadership in natural resource governance.

  - Yevgeniya Chirikova - An environmental activist and founder of the Save Khimki Forest Movement, which organizes against environmental destruction and degradation, and corruption. She has also been credited with stimulating nationwide interest in political reform in Russia.

   

  The Connection Between Democratic Quality and Corruption Control: Insights from Transparency International Hungary 

  February 16, 2022 | Maglione Hall 

  Watch a recording of the event here. 

  In this event, Professor Rachel Epstein interviewed the Executive Director of Transparency International Hungary, József Péter Martin, about the nexus of the economy, government corruption and the quality of democratic governance with a special focus on Hungary. Dean Fritz Mayer introduced the event, focused on the Fidesz and Viktor Orbán regime in Hungary. Over the last decade, Hungary has undergone the steepest decline of any European Union member in democratic quality. While Transparency International Hungary has brought many abuses of power to light, it has proven difficult to curb authoritarian incursions on rights of individuals and the independence of a range of institutions, including the media, judiciary, and universities.

   

  Democratic Erosion in Comparative Perspective: Hungary and Brazil 

  January 11, 2022 | Virtual 

  Watch a recording of the talk here. 

  This panel examines two dramatic cases of democratic erosion in the world today: Hungary and Brazil. Both electorates voluntarily chose leaders, Orbán in Hungary and Bolsonaro in Brazil, who have undermined the quality of democratic governance in their respective countries. Our panelists explain why populations brought these figures to power, what governing strategies Orbán and Bolsonaro have used since assuming office, their approaches toward their economies and corruption, and ideas for restoring democratic quality, including media freedom. This event was part of the Sié Center's Responsible Public Engagement Initiative, sponsored by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Hosted by the Sié Center for International Security and the Institute for Comparative and Regional Studies.

  Panelists:

  - Professor Dóra Piroska from Central European University in Vienna, Austria

  - Professor Rafael Ioris from the Department of History and the Korbel School at the University of Denver.

  Moderator: Rachel Epstein, Senior Associate Dean for Research and Faculty at the Korbel School.

• 2021

  Digital Rights for the People: Freedom, Justice, and Inclusion in the Digital Age

  October 11, 2021 | Maglione Hall 

  There is growing consensus that people must be actively engaged in shaping the Internet to make sure that it is a useful, welcoming, and safe space for all. This talk brings together Nanjala Nyabola's work on technology, politics and society to discuss some of the ways in which big ideas that have defined successful societies in the past – freedom, justice and inclusion – might be translated into paths for action in securing our digital rights. Drawing from more than a decade of research, advocacy and practice across several borders but always returning to global majority countries, this talk will highlight the tensions that have arisen when big ideas have been left in the background of how we develop and deploy technology.

  
  In the modern era, we are often reluctant to engage with complex and big ideas, preferring instead to resort to flattening out the human experience to its simplest form in order to make it easier to commercialize. But this presentation will argue that we have to stop running away from big ideas, and instead fight for common understandings that propel our societies forward together. Engaging with these three ideas and how they have been misused and misunderstood in the digital age, this talk will emphasize that progress is about big ideas, and the digital is no exception.

   

  Forging Feminist Futures

  June 4, 2021 | Virtual 

  Building feminist futures in the context of rising authoritarianism, catastrophic climate change, and the COVID19 pandemic requires more than strategy and tactics - it requires creativity, solidarity, and community. Urgent crises in Colombia and Israel-Palestine have also revealed the urgency of feminist organizing against violence and oppression.

  Inclusive Global Leadership Initiative (IGLI) Practitioner-in-Residence Farida Nabourema, along with alums from past IGLI Summer Institutes, discussed the role grassroots activists have played in forging movements to resist authoritarianism, police brutality, and violence in these contexts. The conversation was moderated by Professor Chen Reis, Interim IGLI Director for the 2021-2022 school year. 

   

  Global Trends 2040: A More Contested World

  April 20, 2021

  Watch a recording of the talk here. 

  In April 2021, the U.S. National Intelligence Council released its quadrennial Global Trends report assessing the national security environment over the next two decades. The report, Global Trends 2040: A More Contested World, details five key themes including shared global challenges ranging from climate change to technology disruptions; fragmentation in communities, states, and the international system; disequilibrium at all levels between shared challenges and needed interventions; adaptation and building societal consensus and trust toward collective action; and greater contestation regarding how emerging challenges may be addressed most effectively.
  
  This event featured a panel discussion including a report author and three University of Denver faculty who have contributed to previous and current Global Trends publications. The panel evaluated this latest report and assess its findings related to theory and practice.
  
  The event was organized in partnership by the Frederick S. Pardee Center for International Futures and Sié Chéou-Kang Center for International Security & Diplomacy at the University of Denver's Josef Korbel School of International Studies. 

   

  Book Launch: Healing and Peacebuilding After War

  Edited by Julianne Funk, Nancy Good, and Marie Berry

  February 16, 2021 | Virtual

  You can watch a recording of the event here. 

   

  This multidisciplinary conversation with the editors and authors of this book focused on the roots and mechanisms of trauma created by war.

  The book begins with a simple premise: trauma that is not transformed is transferred. Drawing on insights from academics, peace practitioners and trauma experts, we examined the limitations of our current strategies for promoting healing and peacebuilding after war while offering inroads into best practices to prevent future violence through psychosocial trauma recovery and the healing of memories.

  Collectively, the book's authors provide strategic recommendations to policymakers, peace practitioners, donors and international organizations engaged in work in Bosnia and Herzegovina - strategies that can be applied to other countries rebuilding after war.

  This event was hosted jointly by the TPO Foundation and the Sié Chéou-Kang Center for International Security & Diplomacy.

   

  Foreign Policy Landscape for the Biden Administration

  February 8, 2021 | Virtual

  Watch a recording of the event here. 

  After the tumultuous four years of the Trump administration, the incoming Biden administration is set to inherit unprecedented foreign policy challenges – some of which may also present opportunities.

  Naazneen Barma, Director of the Scrivner Institute of Public Policy, and Deborah Avant, Director of the Sié Chéou-Kang Center for International Security & Diplomacy, along with experts from in and out of the United States discussed the Foreign Policy Landscape for the Biden Administration, with introductory remarks by Korbel School Dean, Fritz Mayer.

• 2019

  The Creative Use of Media in Peace and War with Honey Al Sayed

  September 23, 2019
  12:00 p.m. Sié 5025, Maglione Hall

  This was the IGLI Practitioner-in-Residence talk featuring Honey Al Sayed, Founder and CEO of Media & Arts for Peace (MAP).

  Eight years ago, Honey Al Sayed had the opportunity to say, "Good morning, Syria!" to millions of listeners across Syria during her 3-hour live radio show. She broke new ground in Syria's media scene with her #1 rated morning show, but was forced to leave her homeland in 2012 when the conflict escalated. After arriving in the U.S., Honey had to rebuild her life from scratch. She successfully co-founded an online radio station, SouriaLi, reaching 500,000 Syrians daily.

  Today, Honey is the Founder and CEO of Media & Arts for Peace, a creative consulting and talent agency representing media and arts professionals from conflict zones and diasporas. She shares her experiences with the next generation through courses at Georgetown University, Geneva Centre for Security Policy, U.S. Institute of Peace, and this quarter at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies as an inaugural practitioner-in-residence with the Sié Center's Inclusive Global Leadership Initiative (IGLI).

  A refugee twice in her lifetime, join us September 23rd to hear Honey speak about her work and life in the media, arts, peace, and conflict.

• 2018

  Financing Peace: An Explainer with Riva Kantowitz

  November 5, 2018
  12:00 p.m. Sié 1020, "The Forum"

  This was a Practitioner-in-Residence talk featuring Riva Kantowitz, who is a Visiting Scholar at NYU's Center for International Cooperation.

  Innovative finance tools are gaining traction in addressing humanitarian and conflict-related issues, yet a systematic, rigorous, and well-tested framework and examination of key assumptions are needed to apply them effectively. Riva Kantowitz, Visiting Scholar at New York University and former Team Lead for Conflict Response at the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, will explore innovative finance from a peacebuilding perspective by describing important related conversations in the humanitarian and peacebuilding sectors, and efforts and tools in finance that could be utilized for sustaining peace. Riva will also look at a few "game changers" that connect the tools of innovative finance with peacebuilding.

   

  Hungry Planet, Sustainable Future?

  October 26, 2018
  12:00 p.m. Sié 1020, "The Forum"

  This was a panel featuring our practitioner-in-Residence, Kimberly Pfeifer, Head of Research at Oxfam America.

  As the global population surges toward 9 billion, how can we feed the future in sustainable, just ways? Alongside Kimberly Pfeifer is Hussein Amery, Professor at the Colorado School of Mines, and Brian O'Neill, Professor at the Korbel School of International Studies and the Director of Research for the Korbel's Pardee Center for International Futures.

• 2017

  Effective Development in National Security Policy-Making

  Wednesday, November 1, 2017
  12:00 p.m. Sié Complex, "The Forum"

   

  A Practitioner-in-Residence Talk with Barbara Smith

  There is a growing recognition in policy making circles that sustainable, resilient short, medium and long term development programming can play a critical role in mitigating fragility, preserving gains and preventing further erosion of confidence in conflict-prone countries. However, despite this recognition and some notable efforts made to elevate development within the previous administration, our development institutions still lack adequate and appropriate resources and expertise needed to help national leaders address the world's most pressing national security challenges.

  Drawing on her own experience working in Washington and abroad - from country contexts to thematic areas - Barbara Smith will discuss what steps have been taken and what more might be done to further integrate development into the policy making process.

   

  Civilian Peace Operations: Reflections on the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine

  Tuesday, September 19, 2017
  12:00 p.m. Josef Korbel School's Maglione Hall, 5th Floor

  A Practitioner-in-Residence Talk with Ambassador Fred Tanner

  How effective are civilian peace operations by international organizations in civil wars? International organizations such as the United Nations and regional bodies such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have deployed civilian peace operations in zones of conflict to monitor compliance with peace agreements and to backstop efforts to build a lasting peace. Sié Center Practitioner-in-Residence Ambassador Fred Tanner of Switzerland will present his reflections on the OSCE's Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. Among the issues he will address are the safety of monitors, their role in dialogue facilitation, and the use of new technologies such as drones. When can civilian peace missions contribute to lasting peace in the wake of civil wars? What is the prognosis for the Ukraine and for the OSCE's efforts to prevent the conflict from erupting anew and for its long-term resolution in a volatile region.

   

  How to Design and Facilitate Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships

  Thursday, September 14, 2017
  12:00 p.m. Josef Korbel School First Floor Forum, Room 1020

  A Practitioner-in-Residence Talk with Herman Brouwer

  In recent years, multi-stakeholder partnerships (MSPs) have become popular for tackling the complex challenges of sustainable development. This lecture provides a practical framework for the design and facilitation of these collaborative processes that work across the boundaries of business, government, civil society and science. Based on experience of working as a facilitator with MSPs in many countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia, as well as global MSPs, Herman Brouwer of Wageningen University, The Netherlands, will speak about success- and failure factors of MSPs. The lecture also covers how to deal with power differences and conflicts between stakeholders, and which skills, competencies and methodologies are required to design and facilitate multi-stakeholder collaboration. The current question is: in which situations can an MSP be an effective, efficient and legitimate strategy? MSPs are currently seen as an important way to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and contribute to global governance — therefore expectations are high. But the jury is still out on whether MSPs can live up to these expectations. Herman Brouwer, the lead author of The MSP Guide, will also share examples from the fields of agriculture and natural resource management.

  Watch on YouTube

• 2016

  Suits and Punks: How Corporations, Investors, Activists and Governments Clash but Change the World

  Thursday, November 10, 2016
  12:00 p.m. Josef Korbel School First Floor Forum, Room 1020

  A Practitioner-in-Residence Talk with Bennett Freeman

  Over the last 15 years of a three decade-plus career, Bennett Freeman has worked at the intersection of governments, international institutions, multinational companies, investors and NGOs to improve corporate conduct and to promote human rights and sustainable development.Bennett Freeman is an innovative leader in business and human rights, natural resource governance and responsible investment, and has played key roles in developing several major multi-stakeholder initiatives and global standards. Throughout his career, he has worked as a consultant, board member and speaker on business and human rights, sustainability, and responsible investment, and served in three positions as a Clinton presidential appointee in the State Department, including as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor from 1999 to early 2001 with responsibility for bilateral human rights diplomacy.

   

  From Principles to Practice: Supporting On-the-Ground Implementation of Business and Human Rights Multistakeholder Initiatives

  Wednesday, May 18, 2016
  12:15 p.m. Sié Complex 1150 (formerly Sié 150)

  A Practitioner-in-Residence talk by Anne-Marie Buzatu, Deputy Head of the Operations IV division (Public-Private Partnerships), Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF)

  This talk presented current efforts of the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces' (DCAF) Public-Private Partnerships Division to support effective, on-the-ground implementation of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights and the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Service Providers. It also considered more broadly the contribution of these and similar efforts to the global policy process.

  This event was co-sponsored by the Daniels College of Business.

   

  The New Faces of Human Rights: Google as Government and Newmont as a Transnational Norm Entrepreneur

  Friday, April 29, 2016
  12:15 p.m. Sié Complex 1150

  A Practitioner-in-Residence talk by Jason Pielemeier, Special Advisor and Head of the Internet Freedom, Business and Human Rights Section in the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.

  Mr. Pielemeier discussed his career path and the Department's work in emerging areas of human rights policy and practice.

   

  Nonviolent Campaigns for Democracy and Human Rights: Is There a Right or Responsibility to Assist?

  Wednesday, March 2, 2016
  12:15 p.m. Sié 150

  Hardy Merriman, Practitioner-in-Residence and President of the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict

  Ordinary people in countries around the world are increasingly engaging in nonviolent civil resistance — involving actions such as strikes, boycotts, mass demonstrations, and a wide variety of other forms of noncooperation — to hold powerholders accountable and win rights, freedom, and justice. In response, many governments are systematically attempting to repress these movements by sharing resources, information, and best practices, as well as providing each other with political, economic, and military support. As nonviolent movements encounter this active backlash, there is renewed urgency around the question of what actions sympathetic external actors can take to support these movements.

  This talk made the case that external actors have a right to provide certain forms of assistance to nonviolent movements struggling for democracy and human rights. It discussed the challenges, risks, and advisability of certain kinds of support.

   

  Developing and Sharing Knowledge about Civil Resistance with Grassroots Organizers

  Tuesday, March 1, 2016
  12:15 p.m. Ben Cherrington Hall, Room 301

  Hardy Merriman
  
  Civil resistance campaigns for rights, freedom, and justice are capturing the world's attention as never before. Nonviolent campaigns against corruption and dictatorship and for women's rights, indigenous rights, minority rights, labor rights, and government and corporate accountability are all examples in recent years of a profound global shift in how political power is developed and applied.

  Learning best practices from activists around the world and from academic research can increase a campaign's chances of success. This presentation focused on the importance of developing and sharing knowledge about civil resistance with grassroots organizers, and looked at the complexities and nuances of working in this field.

  Hardy Merriman is President of the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC). His work focuses on how grassroots civil resistance movements around the world can successfully fight for rights, freedom, and justice. He lectures widely to practitioners, scholars, and members of civil society. He visited as a practitioner-in-residence February 29 - March 4, 2016.

   

  Engaged Scholarship

  February 11, 2016
  12:15 p.m. Sié 150

  Celestino Perez, Jr., Colonel, U.S. Army; Matthew Taylor, Associate Professor, Department of Geography and the Environment; Karin Wedig, Assistant Professor, Josef Korbel School of International Studies; Deborah Avant, Professor and Sié Chéou-Kang Chair for International Security and Diplomacy, Josef Korbel School of International Studies

  How should academic scholarship inform and be informed by policy and practice? Who has responsibility to "bridge the gap" between academia and the policy world? How does academia reach beyond policy elites to impact companies, NGOs, local civilian groups, and others? This panel brought several different perspectives and vantage points on the relationship between academics and the "real world" into conversation with one another.

   

  Gender, Peace and Security: What's Next?

  January 13, 2016
  12:15 p.m. Sié 150

  Julie Arostegui

  Despite UN and national commitments, there is still significant progress to be made in the full inclusion of women in peace and security processes – ranging from political participation to police reform. With the state of world affairs, it is more important than ever to advance gender equality and inclusive processes in order to establish sustainable peace. Julie Arostegui, a lawyer and expert in gender and international human rights, highlighted the current issues and opportunities promoting women and gender in international security. Drawing on her extensive experience in the field, she shared strategies for students and professionals to get involved in these pressing issues.
  
  Julie L. Arostegui, J.D., is a member of Women in International Security and serves as an international advocate, advisor, trainer, speaker, researcher, and writer for the civil society, political, security, and justice sectors. She has worked with a wide range of institutions and most recently led the Women, Peace and Security program at Women's Action for New Directions (WAND), working to empower women politically both in the U.S. and in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Middle East and North Africa as leaders on critical issues of conflict prevention, peace building, violence against women, and national and global security. Previously she worked with groups in the Great Lakes region of Africa to integrate gender equality and women's rights into post-conflict legal structures.

  View PowerPoint

  
  This event is co-sponsored by the Center on Rights Development and the Denver chapter of Women in International Security.

• 2015

  The Cost of War, The Price of Peace

  November 9, 2015

  Kathy Kelly

  Drawing from experiences living alongside ordinary people trapped in war zones, Kathy Kelly recommends heightened empathy and suggests practical steps toward abolishing all wars.

  Kathy Kelly and her companions with Voices for Creative Nonviolence believe that where you stand determines what you see. They oppose all forms of war, and try to help educate people about the cost of war and "the price" of peace. As a guest of the Afghan Peace Volunteers, Kathy Kelly has lived alongside ordinary Afghan people in a working class neighborhood in Kabul. She most recently traveled to Kabul in September of 2015. On April 21st Kelly was released from federal prison after serving a three month sentence for non-violently protesting drone warfare at Whiteman AFB which operates weaponized drones in Afghanistan.

  She lived in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead and immediately following Israel's Pillar of Cloud attacks on Gaza. As a member of international peace teams, she has traveled to Sarajevo, Lebanon, the West Bank and Iraq. She lived in Iraq throughout the "Shock and Awe" bombing and traveled there 27 times between 1996 and 2003 to break the economic sanctions against Iraq. In 1988, she was sentenced to one year served in a maximum security prison for planting corn on nuclear weapon sites. Since 1981, as a war tax refuser, she has successfully refused all payment of federal income tax, primarily through lowering her income beneath the taxable level.

   

  Revolution of Justice

  October 1, 2015

  Claudia Paz y Paz
  
  As Guatemala’s first female Attorney General, Dr. Claudia Paz y Paz Bailey prosecuted organized criminals and perpetrators of mass human rights abuses despite threats to her own safety. She was a 2013 nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize.

   

  Claudia Paz y Paz ~ En Español

  October 1, 2015
  Highlands Methodist Church, 3131 Osceola St. Denver

  A pesar de las amenazas a su propia seguridad, la Dra. Claudia Paz y Paz Bailey, primera mujer Procuradora General de Guatemala, procesó criminales organizados y perpetradores de abusos masivos de derechos humanos. Ella fue candidata en el 2013 para el Permio Novel de la Paz. La Dra. Paz y Paz también ha sido miembro del Grupo de Expertos de la Comisión Interamericana sobre los 43 desaparecidos de Ayotzinapa.

   

  The Revolution Is Not a Protest Movement

  August 26, 2015

  Erin Mazursky
  
  Studies show that the number of protest movements have increased exponentially over the last decade. But are these movements the Civil Rights, Anti-Apartheid, independence movements of our time? Or are they simply flashes of trending topics on Twitter?

  This talk discussed what happens after the protest and if we can really point to these mass mobilizations as a means for structural change. Erin examined historical examples of successful social movements while discussing present-day examples of the inner-workings and struggles of some of today's movements to arrive at Rhize's current approach for supporting movements around the world.

  Erin Mazursky is the Founder and Executive Director of Rhize, a new venture that is re-designing and the function and experience of democracy towards more participatory, just and flourishing communities through the innovation of collective action. She is visiting the Sié Center as a practitioner-in-residence with support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

   

  Is Authoritarianism Staging a Comeback?

  May 21, 2015

  A Book Launch and Discussion with Maria Stephan
  
  Maria Stephan, a practitioner-in-residence at the Sié Center, is a senior policy fellow at the United States Institute of Peace. She is co-leading an initiative at the Atlantic Council on how external actors can reverse authoritarianism's recent gains by boosting democracy's prospects. Her new co-edited book Is Authoritarianism Staging a Comeback?  explains why the world is experiencing a global democratic recession and how civil resistance movements can effectively combat authoritarian regimes.

  This event was part of the Sié Center initiative to "bridge the gap" between academia and policy supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.