Friday, February 21, 2019 @ 118 Elliot
118 Elliot St., Brattleboro, VT
Ambassador Adrian Basora and Dr. Andrew Wilking will debate the topic
Can Democracy Be Saved? (and Why Bother?) 

Free and Open to the Public
Coffee, tea & conversation from 7:00 pm. The debate begins at 7:30.

This event is a followup of a 2017 volume entitled Does Democracy Matter? The United States and Global Democracy Support, of which Ambassador Basora is the principal author.  This work provided the conclusions of eleven scholars from widely different backgrounds who ask whether and, if so, how the U.S. should support democracy beyond its own borders. The authors agree that American strategic interests are served in the long run by the spread of democracy abroad, but they differ as to how this support meshes with other national security goals. The concluding chapter outlines a system of triage for realistically assessing where and how such assistance can be effective in promoting US security interests.

Since the publication of this work, both the world, and U.S. government actions regarding democracy abroad, have changed significantly. And so has the state of our own democracy.

The program will start with a debate between Dr.Wilking and Ambassador Basora, but will leave ample time for questions and dialogue. We hope you will be able to join us for what promises to be a lively and thought-provoking evening!

Ambassador Adrian Basora is a Trustee of the Foreign Policy Research Institute and Co-Chairman of its Eurasia Program and the Project on Democratic Transitions. He served as US Ambassador in Prague and worked closely with Czech and Slovak leaders during their transitions to democracy.  Prior to that, he had served at the National Security Council where he helped design the US programs of support for the post-communist transitions to democracy.

Ambassador Basora is the principal author of the book Does Democracy Matter? The United States and Global Democracy Support.  His earlier Foreign Service career included assignments in Latin America, Romania, France and Spain, and at the State Department. Adrian is currently a resident of Walpole, New Hampshire.

Dr. Andrew Wilking was born and raised in New York City. He received his undergraduate degree in English literature from Harvard College and an M.D. from Columbia’s College of Physicians and Surgeons. He received training in pediatrics and pediatric rheumatology and spent most of his medical career at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He retired from that institution with the rank of Professor of Pediatrics, Emeritus. He has long been a student of history with special interests in American and English colonial history.

 Windham World Affairs Council is a member of the World Affairs Councils of America