GLOBALIZATION AND DEMOCRACY
First Session: March 29, 200

On March 29, thanks to the ever-improving videoconferencing technology and new facilities capable of bridging together 24 sites at a time, students connected in an interactive discussion with a panel of European experts on democracy gathered in Prague for AI's "Redefining Europe" global conference. The purpose of this event, first in a series of three interactive videoconferences entitled "Globalization and Democracy", was to better understand the criteria of a healthy and sustainable democracy and to examine successful and unsuccessful attempts at creating new democracies. In particular, given the geographic location and area of expertise of the panel, students were able to focus on Europe as a case study. Dr. Ivana Simikova from the Czech Republic , Frank Burgdörfer from Germany , Marielle Reiss from France , and Mitchell Young from the United States each at a turn answered questions from around the world regarding the recent changes in Europe , specifically the transition from totalitarianism to democracy in Central and Eastern Europe and the changes ahead of the enlarged European Union. Interestingly, students in attendance in Prague included young people from Russia , Ukraine , and Bosnia , who shared their own experience and understanding of democracy as well as their hope for the future.

The experience of European countries helped students around the world understand important questions such as: why are democratic countries essential for a stable international system? What is democracy? What are the essential elements of democracy? What are the tensions that exist among the values and principles of democracy? What makes democracies flourish?