Please join the Atlantic Council’s Asia Security Initiative, housed within the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, for a discussion about recent democratic developments in Asia and their implications for the future of democracy in the region.

Recent months have seen questions about the long-term prospects for democracy in Asia come into focus once again. While Southeast Asia has seen a trend toward authoritarianism in Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Myanmar, elections in Malaysia and Timor Leste deserve reflection and celebration for showing that democracy in Southeast Asia is still a force to be reckoned with. At the same time, the 29th anniversary of the June 4 Tiananmen Square protests brought renewed displays of democratic solidarity in Hong Kong and Taiwan that have underscored existing tensions with China’s government.

Are recent elections outliers or the start of democratic renewal in Southeast Asia? How can Hong Kong and Taiwan protect their democratic systems in the context of China’s rise? What challenges and opportunities do Asia’s democracies face in a rapidly evolving security environment? Examining these questions from the perspectives of Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the region as a whole, the Atlantic Council will bring together a panel of experts as part of its Cross-Strait Seminar Series to discuss the future of democracy in Asia.

Mr. Anthony Nelson
Director, East Asia and Pacific Practice
Albright Stonebridge Group

Dr. Sophie Richardson
China Director
Human Rights Watch

Dr. Daniel Twining
President
International Republican Institute

Moderated by:
Mr. John Watts
Nonresident Senior Fellow,
Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security
Atlantic Council 

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