How have the dynamics of global development finance changed with the emergence of large-scale initiatives like the BRI? What challenges does this pose to established financial institutions such as the World Bank and the IMF?

The BRI has impacted the World Bank and the IMF in very different ways. For the World Bank, it simply represents a very viable alternative for countries in need of bilateral loans for large infrastructure projects. For decades, the World Bank has developed and improved its Environmental and Social safeguards for infrastructure projects. These are intended to improve project outcomes, but they also clearly impose costs in funding and project delays for borrowers. With the emergence of the BRI, borrowers had an alternative source of financing without the World Bank’s same safeguards.

For the IMF, the challenge is clearly on assisting countries in credit distress and managing the restructuring process, and this has been playing out over the last few years. The IMF has developed programs to lend into and then “referee” debt restructurings in the past, but the present situation is very unique both financially and geopolitically.

Are there lessons that can be drawn from historical cases of emerging market debt crises that could inform strategies to prevent or manage such crises in the context of the BRI?

Historically the best “solution” for an emerging market debt crisis is a fast, deep restructuring that gives the distressed borrower the headroom to resume economic growth. That is the opposite of what is happening for the initial restructurings in the current emerging market debt crisis. There is very little trust among lenders, and those restructurings that have been negotiated have been underwhelming. Geopolitically speaking, the emerging market debt crisis currently underway is a bit unique.

Anton Turupalov is a political consulting and government relations professional in Ukraine with extensive experience in public service. He has previously served as Deputy Mayor of Mykolayiv, Advisor to the Minister of Healthcare of Ukraine, and Advisor to the Head of the Parliament of Ukraine. Anton's expertise lies in regional policy and local administration. As a key advisor on regional policy to the former Prime Minister of Ukraine, he played a pivotal role in implementing groundbreaking system changes, including land and administrative reform. Anton organized Ukraine's first coronavirus isolation facility during the COVID-19 pandemic under challenging circumstances. Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022, Anton co-organized the Assistance Coordination Center in Warsaw, a hub for coordinating humanitarian aid between Ukrainian and Polish authorities, international donors, and organizations. Currently based in Warsaw, Anton serves as an advisor to the Minister of Agriculture and Food of Ukraine.

Project Description: Anton is spearheading the creation of the Ukrainian Endowment for Democracy (UED), a platform dedicated to protecting and developing democracy in Ukraine. The UED aims to promote the transformation of the political system, establish effective institutions, and introduce equal rules of the game to build sustainable democracy. The Endowment’s mission is to promote democratic institutions, foster economic development, and support the political system’s evolution. UED will bring together responsible businesses and experienced reformers to address systemic national problems, shape the national agenda, partner with international organizations, and work on two fronts: promoting democracy and building a strong economy. It will support the development of democratic institutions, political parties, civil society organizations, and independent media, and promote Ukraine as a regional leader of democracy, as well as support Ukraine’s integration with Europe and the West.

In addition to establishing the UED, Anton is working on a secondary project focused on improving the efficiency, transparency, and responsiveness of reconstruction and humanitarian aid efforts in Ukraine. The project aims to develop a one-stop-shop system connecting international donors, relevant national government ministries, agencies, and local actors (region, town, and community-level stakeholders). This platform will enable a more transparent, efficient, and responsive mechanism for coordinating aid efforts in Ukraine, reducing corruption, improving prioritization, lowering net costs, and facilitating communication of needs and systemic issues by local administrations.

Gulsanna ("Sanna") Mamediieva led strategic planning and European integration of the digital sector of Ukraine as Director General for EU Integration at the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine. She played a significant role in Ukraine’s integration into the EU Digital Single Market and the rapid digital transformation of Ukraine, including building the government ecosystem “Diia” (The State and Me), which makes it easy and secure for Ukrainians to obtain digital documents (driver’s licenses, passports, etc.), access public services online (such as paying taxes, business registration), developing digital skills, electronic communication and growth of ICT industry. This influence made Ukraine one of the world leaders in public innovation and, without exaggeration, European “digital tiger.” It also served as a backbone of Ukrainian resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic and wartime. Since February 2022, she has coordinated international technical assistance to support Ukraine’s digital resilience. Gulsanna also initiated exporting Ukrainian digital transformation experience to other countries. The first case is with Estonia, which will present its government state application, “Mrik,” which is based on Ukraine’s “Diia” app. Gulsanna currently serves as an Advisor to the Vice Prime Minister on Innovation, Technology and Education, and to the Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine. She is also Director for Programs and Partnerships at Digitally GovTech Center of Excellence, a member of the Council of Europe’s Committee on Artificial Intelligence, and Coordinator for Ukraine at Eastern Partnership Harmonization Digital Market initiative. She was a Visiting Fellow at the McCourt School for Public Policy at Georgetown University before arriving at Stanford this summer. She holds a Master’s degree in Information Technology Law from the University of Tartu, Estonia, and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Internet Law at Carleton University in Canada. Before her government role, Gulsanna worked as an IT lawyer at DLA Piper Ukraine, specializing in ICT and Intellectual Property.

Project Description: Sanna has a number of tech policy areas of interest. She would like to learn more about innovation strategy development, edTech, govTech, military tech, AI for public purpose, saving ecosystems, biotech and medtech, and innovation parks. She is also interested in developing solutions and learning about comparative practices for upskilling and reskilling displaced people, mostly women, with a specific focus on the ICT sector. She has been very involved in building Ukraine’s digital capacity and IT sector development. Sanna is also interested in helping to build further digital capacities for better governance at both the local and national levels. To achieve this, she is keen on connecting with individuals in California, including local government representatives, who are engaged in similar efforts. She is also eager to connect with women in the Bay Area who have participated in ICT-related retraining and reskilling initiatives.

Gulsanna is interested in technology around elections, blockchain, and security that would be involved in structuring a way in which all displaced Ukrainians might have the opportunity to vote in the next round of presidential and/or parliamentary and local elections. She endeavors to understand the risks and benefits of such a system and, thus, is interested in connecting with experts in technical/computer science who are conversant in blockchain and e-voting, if only to explain why these ideas may not work that well. She is also interested in digital diplomacy, promoting and sharing Ukrainian digital transformation experiences.

Halyna Yanchenko was elected to the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) in 2019 and is the Deputy Chair of Sluha Narodum “SN” (Servant of the People), a centrist, pro-European and anti-corruption Party. Shortly after her election, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, tapped her to lead government investment efforts. In January 2022, she was appointed as a Secretary in the National Investment Council of Ukraine. In addition, she chairs the Temporary Special Commission of the Verkhovna Rada on protecting investor rights. Prior to being elected to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, she led the Civil Oversight Council at the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine. In 2014-2015 was a deputy of the Kyiv city council. Halyna earned a Master’s Degree in Sociology from the National University Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. She also studied for one year at Wichita Falls High School in Texas. 

Project Description: Halyna has many interests and was an important voice in the political process that led to the creation of “Diya” (a state cell phone application that has electronic IDs and provides public services to citizens and businesses) to make it easy and secure for Ukrainians to obtain digital drivers’ licenses, passports, health cards, and the like. This was very successful, and Ukrainians can now do all of this on their smartphones. Building on this success, Halyna is interested in using technology to assist in quickly employing veterans and returning displaced Ukrainians post-war. She is interested in engaging foreign investment for the recovery of Ukraine. She also wants to learn more about platforms and systems that can match skills with reconstruction priorities (as well as helping to map out those priorities). She would benefit from making connections in the private sector, including tech companies that could be helpful in these areas, as well as learning more from people who have worked in post-conflict zones on reconstruction priorities and organization. She also seeks to meet with emergency and disaster preparedness and recovery organizations at the state, federal and local levels or other contacts who may have experience in some of these areas.

Konstantyn ("Kostya") Chyzhyk is a Partner at British-Ukrainian law and consultancy firm Hillmont Partners, helping international companies develop business in Ukraine and advising the government and the parliament on economic and judicial reforms. As Deputy Minister of Energy and Ecology, Konstantyn coordinated European integration, investments, digital transformation, and security, worked on renewable energy sector stabilization and reform, launched new auctions on gas extraction, and managed the largest sectoral loan and grant portfolio in the government of $1.2B. As Deputy Head and later as Head of the Investment Promotion Office under the President of Ukraine, Konstantyn unlocked and secured more than $1B of foreign direct investments. As Head of Communications and International Relations of the Ministry of Finance, he promoted IMF-backed reforms and managed cooperation with investors and the IMF, World Bank, EBRD, and EIB. 

Project Description: Kostya wants to use his time at Stanford to develop a new vision for ways in which to attract foreign direct investment to Ukraine. He is interested in learning more about strategic, sectoral, and institutional policy and regulatory frameworks that Ukraine would need to have in place in order to attract foreign capital post-war. He is keen on engaging with professionals from private equity and venture funds. Additionally, he seeks to connect with regional authorities, both at the state and local levels, if applicable, who are actively involved in economic development and the promotion of foreign direct investment (FDI). Kostya's intention is to gain insights from California's initiatives in this realm and also understand more about the factors that investors prioritize when considering investment in post-conflict areas.

Mykhailo Pavliuk is vice-chairman of the Chernivtsi Oblast (state) legislature in Ukraine. Among his central duties is the protection of the mutual interests of communities (known in Ukrainian as hromadas) and local governing bodies. His interests have long been focused on Euro-Atlantic integration, decentralization and deconcentration of authority in Ukraine, and the engagement of public and non-governmental organizations in policymaking. As acting Governor of the Chernivtsi Oblast State Administration in 2018-2019, Mykhailo focused on the creation of a successful administrative structure of new, capable, self-sufficient communities. In 2006-2010 shortly after his university graduation, he also organized long-term public discussions about the advantages for Ukraine of European Union and NATO membership. In his spare time, Mykhailo volunteers to deliver humanitarian aid to liberated areas of Ukraine and to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He also supports internally displaced persons in Chernivtsi and coordinates their resettlement.

Project Description: Mykhailo’s project is about local self-governance — its decentralization, finalization, and implementation in the post-war period in Ukraine. He wants to learn more about checks and balances between executive and local self-governance in the United States, how to empower self-sufficient communities (hromadas in Ukrainian, which are literally community-based forms of governance) and enrich them with practices of good governance (transparent, responsive and efficient), and also ways in which to engage citizens in local public issues. During his time at Stanford, he is interested in meeting with local government representatives in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and Mountain View, as well as state (California) government actors to understand better how (or whether) this works here.

Olena Kutsai is a lawyer with more than 15 years of experience in the international corporate sector, including work for Chevron and Scorpio Real Estate corporations. Olena currently serves as a Member of the Secretariat of the Business Ombudsman Council of Ukraine and is a Member of the Peace Coalition. In the Business Ombudsman Council, Olena leads high-level dialogues focused on improving the business environment in Ukraine. She is responsible for strategic cooperation with a number of stakeholders, including the Ministry of Digital Transformation and the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources. Olena drives several special initiatives to support the reconstruction and recovery of Ukraine following Russia’s invasion in 2022. She also develops policy recommendations promoting good governance, sustainable development, and the rule of law in Ukraine, working with the Government of Ukraine, Verkhovna Rada (parliament), the Office of the President of Ukraine, business associations, non-governmental institutions, international financial institutions (World Bank, EBRD), and international development organizations such as USAID and Agriteam. Olena is an author and co-author of the Council’s educational webinars and training for the private and public sectors. She holds a Master’s of Public Administration from the Ukrainian Catholic University and a Master’s of Law from the Eastern European University. Olena is a graduate of the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law’s Leadership Academy for Development (Stanford University) and an advanced leadership course at Harvard Business School.

Project Description: Olena has an extensive background in business development and business advocacy. Her primary interest revolves around exploring effective strategies to reconstruct and revitalize the business community in Kherson, a region in southeastern Ukraine liberated from Russian occupation in the spring of 2022. Her overarching goal is to create models that can be scaled, adapted, and implemented in other parts of Ukraine.

Her past work has been focused on helping businesses forced to relocate from occupied or conflict-ridden areas of Ukraine. She helped these businesses secure new operational spaces, access essential services like electricity and internet, and rebuild disrupted supply chains to resume production. In Kherson, specific challenges arise due to the aftermath of flooding caused by the Russian military's destruction of the Khakovka Dam on June 6, 2023. Alongside her focus on business recovery, Olena also seeks to address the cleanup and restoration of vital services like electricity and internet, as well as the rebuilding of other infrastructure destroyed in the flooding.

Given the significant environmental damage in Kherson, Olena has found value in connecting with experts in food sustainability at Stanford, as well as climate and environmental scientists like David Lobell. She also seeks to engage with and learn from individuals with experience in disaster cleanup and recovery, both within California and on a national and international scale.

I remember that on our way to Kazbegi, we stopped at a place called the Russia-Georgia Friendship Monument. The Russia–Georgia Friendship Monument was built in the Soviet era to symbolize the friendship between the two nations. However, it has stirred controversy among Georgians. While some view it as a painful reminder of conflicts between Russia and Georgia, criticisms emerge regarding the painting inside the wall, accused of presenting a biased narrative, and its location along the Georgian Military Highway is seen by some as a reminder of unresolved conflicts. After learning the story behind the Monument, I understand the hesitation on the Georgian side. I also realized that unless people and countries share common values, the sustainability and the meaning of symbolic structures like the Russia-Georgia Friendship Monument will forever remain fiction.

Moreover, I had an opportunity to chat with other LNC participants from other parts of the world. The conversations were so insightful. Before coming to Georgia, I had a few questions related to democratic principles and values. The conversations I had with my peers during this program were so rich, and I was able to address some of these questions. Imagine!! Meeting peers with many years of experience in promoting democracy from almost all over the world — it was epic. I am pleased that I am more informed, and I am more confident that, today, I can give comparative knowledge when it comes to governance issues to aid my work. Being part of the LNC program kept me on track.

All in all, I wish to say მადლობა საქართველოს, სტენფორდის CDDRL-ს და ფიშერების ოჯახს (Georgian for "thank you to Georgia, Stanford CDDRL, and the Fisher Family").

Impacts on Russia, Ukraine, and Beyond

Michael McFaul

The implications of the 72-hour mutiny will last much longer and extend much further beyond Rostov and Moscow, says FSI Director and former U.S. ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul.

Speaking with Madeline Brand of KRCW, McFaul outlined the difficult situation Putin now finds himself in.

“This whole series of events has made Putin look a lot weaker than he looked three or four days ago. The very fact that the Wagner group exists is a sign of weakness. Putin needs them because he couldn’t rely on his armed forces.”

Elaborating further on Putin’s dilemma, McFaul says:

“As those mercenaries were getting closer to Moscow, Putin went on TV and sounded very macho, calling Prigozhin’s men traitors and promising to crush them, but then four hours later, he capitulates and starts to negotiate. And now he’s given another speech where it sounds like he’s pleading with these mercenaries to lay down their weapons and join the Russian forces. That clearly shows he hasn’t resolved this Wagner crisis yet.”

McFaul predicts that Putin’s remaining partners are also taking note of his fumbled reaction to the rebellion.

“​​If you’re Xi Jinping watching this, the big bet you made on Putin as a partner in opposing the West is looking really problematic right now.”

What Chinese officials fear most, McFaul explained to MSNBC’s Jonathn Capehart, is instability and dissolution, both internally and amongst their neighbors. Historically, the collapse of the Soviet Union was a catastrophic event for Chinese Communist Party officials, and a lesson the current leadership is loath to repeat.

McFaul asserts that, “The longer Putin’s war in Ukraine goes, the more probable it becomes that Russia becomes more unstable. The longer this war goes on, the more likely it is we could see something like this play out over and over again. So I would hope that Xi Jinping understands that putting pressure on Putin to end the war in Ukraine is the best way to prevent chaos on China's borders.”

There are also important lessons the United States and its allies need to consider when evaluating the kind of support they are willing to give Ukraine as the war wears on.

“Putin capitulated very fast, and I think that says a lot about how he’s going to fight in Ukraine and whether he needs an ‘off ramp’ like we’ve been saying. We’ve heard all of these arguments that if he’s backed into a corner he’ll never negotiate. Well, this weekend Putin was in a corner, and he didn't double down. He didn't escalate. He negotiated,” McFaul observes.

Continuing this thought on his Substack, McFaul emphasized that, “The lesson for the war in Ukraine is clear. Putin is more likely to negotiate and end his war if he is losing on the battlefield, not when there is a stalemate. Those who have argued that Ukraine must not attack Crimea for fear of triggering escalation must now reevaluate that hypothesis. The sooner Putin fears he is losing the war, the faster he will negotiate.”

Or, as McFaul writes in Journal on Democracy, “Anything that weakens Putin is good for Ukraine. It is as simple as that.”  

Fallout on Nuclear Security and Norms

Rose Gottemoeller

Throughout the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there have been concerns about nuclear sabre rattling by Putin and Kremlin-backed propagandists. Writing in the Financial Times, Rose Gottemoeller, the Steven C. Házy Lecturer at CISAC and former Deputy Secretary of NATO offered this insight:

“The fixation with nuclear apocalypse seems to be the symptom of a wider anxiety that the west is bent on Russian dismemberment because of its aspirations in Ukraine. The Kremlin argues that it only wanted to resume its ancestral right to a Slavic heartland, but that the U.S. and NATO are seeking as punishment Russia’s full and complete destruction as a nation state.”

Gottemoeller has been quick to condemn Putin’s casual threats of nuclear use and clear in her recommendations to the U.S. administration and its allies to find constructive ways to keep nuclear arms talks open despite the war in Ukraine and setbacks like Russia’s suspension of its participation in the New START Treaty.

The Wagner takeover of Rostov-on-Don adds a new layer to the security concerns surrounding Russia’s nuclear posture. Looking at the evolution of Putin’s nuclear rhetoric over the last 18 months, Gottemoeller writes:

“Putin embraced nuclear weapons to keep the United States and its NATO allies off his back and out of his way as he pursued his adventure in Ukraine. It did not work out that way. The United States and NATO were not ready to fight inside Ukraine, but they were willing to do everything else to support Kyiv’s cause — economic, political, security and military assistance to ensure Russia’s defeat. Nuclear weapons failed Putin as a guarantee against external meddling.”

Turning to the events of the last week, Gottemoeller continues:

“We learned on June 24 that they are no help to him internally, either. He could not brandish nuclear weapons in the face of the Wagner Group uprising . . . Nuclear weapons are not the authoritarian’s silver bullet when his power is strained to the breaking point — far from it. In fact, they represent a consummate threat to national and global security if they should fall into the wrong hands in the course of domestic unrest.”

In light of Prigozhin’s mutiny, she urges global leaders to “focus on the problem, stop loose nuclear talk, and put new measures in place to protect, control and account for nuclear weapons and the fissile material that go into them.” 

The Unknown Unknowns of the Settlement

Steven Pifer

Major questions remain about the deal struck between Putin, Prigozhin, and Lukashenko. While Lukashenko has confirmed that the Wagner boss is now in Belarusian territory, it is unclear — and many feel, unlikely — that he will stay there in quiet retirement. 

Weighing in on Twitter, Steven Pifer, an affiliate at the Center for International Cooperation and Security and The Europe Center, and a former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, acknowledged, “We likely do not know all carrots and/or sticks that were in play to lead to Prigozhin’s decision to end his mutiny . . . Something does not add up.”

Following up in Politico, Pifer added:

“The ‘settlement’ supposedly brokered by President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus leaves Putin, who was invisible during the day except for a short morning TV broadcast, as damaged goods. It provided the impression that all was forgiven, likely because the Russian president feared the prospect of Prigozhin’s troops parading in Moscow — even if they lacked the numbers to take control of the capital. It is harder to understand Prigozhin. His demands went unmet, yet he ordered his troops back to garrison, accepted that they might join the Russian army that he detests, and meekly set off for Belarus. There clearly is more behind this ‘settlement’ than we understand.”

BELARUS
 

Anton Radniankou is a leader with over a decade of experience spanning both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. His notable achievements include shaping the strategy and communication efforts for the most successful presidential campaign in the history of Belarusian democratic forces. Additionally, he established one of the largest independent think tanks in the country and implemented extensive infrastructure projects funded by the European Union. Anton currently leads the Belarusian think tank, Center for New Ideas, which promotes structural reforms through research and stakeholder engagement. During the 2020 presidential campaign in Belarus, Anton acted as a consultant to reformist candidates Viktar Babaryka, Maria Kalesnikava, and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Previously, he designed and implemented initiatives centered around sustainable regional development, with budgets reaching up to 1 million EUR. He also serves as the Head of Communications for the Coordination Council of the Belarusian Democratic Forces. Anton was born in Homiel, Belarus, and studied Strategic Communications at King’s College, London.

CAMEROON
 

Tem Fuh Mbuh is the Acting Division Director and Program Manager of the Security and Rights Program at Open Society—Africa. Prior to this, he was the head of the Nigeria Office of the Open Society Initiative for West Africa as well as the Program Officer for Equality, Justice, and Human Rights. Previously, he served as Legal Officer at the Secretariat of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights. In 2017, Tem was a Mandela Washington Fellow for Young African Leaders (University of Virginia and College of William and Mary, both in the United States. He holds a Master’s degree in Human Rights and Democratization from the University of Pretoria, South Africa. Tem's primary interests are in the areas of conflict prevention, human rights, and rule of law.

COLOMBIA
 

Ana Bejarano Ricaurte is a Colombian lawyer from Los Andes University, with a Masters in Law from Harvard University. Bejarano is a litigator in Bejarano Abogados, a law firm in Bogotá, and is currently the director of El Veinte, an NGO dedicated to the judicial defense of freedom of expression and the eradication of judicial harassment against the press. She is also a professor at Los Andes University, teaching a course titled: Justice and Freedom of Expression. Bejarano is an op-ed writer for Los Danieles, an independent digital opinion outlet in Colombia, and has been a member of the Colombian Institute of Procedural Law since 2011. Her research topics include justice systems, pro bono work, sociology of the legal profession, freedom of expression, and gender-based violence. She is also a proud single mother to Irene.

ETHIOPIA
 

Dr. Ayten Birhanie is the Executive Director of the Ethiopian Institute of Peace. Previously, he served as a Lecturer at various institutions and co-founded New Abyssinia College, where he served as College Dean and General Manager. His interests and areas of expertise include societies and politics, peacebuilding, conflict management, and transformation of the Horn of Africa, as well as the issues of social justice and equality, and human and democratic rights and responsibilities. Ayten holds a Ph.D. in Global Studies, specializing in peace and security in Africa, from Leipzig University in Germany and Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia. He also earned a Master of Arts degree in Peace Education from the University for Peace (UPEACE) in Costa Rica. He completed his Bachelor's degrees in Sociology and Social Anthropology, as well as in Business Education, from Unity University and Addis Ababa University, respectively.

GEORGIA
 

Ketevan Meskhishvili is a judge of the Tbilisi Appeal Court with 13 years of experience. She is a doctor of Laws and has been a full professor at the Free University of Tbilisi since 2013. In addition to her judicial role, Ketevan is a national trainer for judges, attorneys, and lawyers. She has published extensively on private law and human rights. Throughout her 20-year legal career, Ketevan has held various positions, including chief specialist at the Civil, Entrepreneurial, and Bankruptcy Cases Chamber of the Supreme Court of Georgia and legal assistant to the Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Court of Georgia. She also wrote the curricula as director of the Ph.D. and LLM programs in Law at Caucasus University. Ketevan's educational background includes studies at Iv. Javakhishvili University of Tbilisi and the European University of Saarbrücken. She has completed certified legal training courses in Georgia and Europe and has participated in exchange programs in Germany and the United States. Driven by her motto, "I evolve, therefore I exist," Ketevan is committed to continuous self-improvement and being a valuable citizen who contributes to her country's progress.
 

Tamar Khulordava, co-founder of Egeria Solutions, specializes in democratization and institution building. With over 20 years of experience in governance, human rights, and the rule of law, she offers consultancy at Egeria to state and non-state actors. Tamar's notable roles include serving as a member of the Parliament of Georgia (2016-2020), where she chaired the Committee on European Integration and led parliamentary delegations to the European Parliament. She also served as First Deputy Minister of Corrections, spearheading impactful reforms in criminal enforcement. Tamar has managed European Union justice programs worth over EUR 100 million and has contributed to legal education as a trainer and instructor at Tbilisi State University. She holds a degree from Tbilisi State University and has participated in various professional development programs.

HONG KONG (city)
 

Sunny Cheung is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Flow HK Media, a platform that combats authoritarian propaganda and promotes democracy across more than ten countries. He currently advises the Hong Kong Democracy Council in Washington, D.C., and has previously advised the State Department, the Taiwanese government, and various international NGOs. In 2019, Sunny founded the Hong Kong Higher Institutions International Affairs Delegation, comprising all university student unions in the territory of Hong Kong, and organized worldwide lobbying efforts to support freedom and justice for the city. In 2020, he was elected by 600,000 pro-democracy voters in the municipal primaries. In 2022, he founded the International Liberty Congress in an effort to prevent further democratic recession. Sunny’s work for freedom in Hong Kong has earned him recognition as a Global Leader by the McCain Institute. He has also testified before the US Congress, Parliament of the United Kingdom, and Taiwan Legislative Yuan regarding the political situation in Hong Kong. Sunny is a graduate of the University of Hong Kong and holds an M.A. from the School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University. He is a visiting fellow at Taiwan's National Sun Yat-Sen University.

INDIA
 

Deeksha Bhardwaj is a political journalist covering policy and governance in New Delhi. Her extensive coverage includes subjects ranging from the Election Commission and Parliament to tech policy, cybersecurity, and culture. Deeksha's portfolio showcases her ability to curate articles, deliver ground reports on national and state elections, and break important news stories on topics such as India’s burgeoning data protection legislation, social media policy, and the country’s principal opposition party, the Congress. She has a keen interest in surveillance reforms and their impact on civil rights. A graduate of Lady Shri Ram College in India, Deeksha pursued an academic career in Literatures in English before her stint as a journalist. She holds a Master of Philosophy from Delhi University and is interested in the intersection of technology, policy, society, and governance.
 

Manasi Subramaniam is the Editor-in-Chief and Vice President at Penguin Random House India, where she heads the literary division’s flagship imprints: Allen Lane, Viking, Hamish Hamilton, Penguin Paperbacks, and Penguin Classics. She has published some of the most exciting new voices across South Asia, including two winners of the Booker Prize and a winner of the Pulitzer Prize. She has been invited to prestigious global leadership and governance forums, including the Yale World Fellows program and the Raisina Young Fellows program, as well as professional publishing platforms such as the Frankfurt Buchmesse fellowship, the Bureau International de l'Édition Française fellowship, the Australia Council for the Arts Visiting International Publishers program, and the Zev Birger fellowship. Manasi is committed to making publishing more inclusive and accessible and bringing underrepresented voices into mainstream media. Manasi has an MA in Renaissance Literature and has worked in amateur theater and academic research on Shakespeare.
 

Technologist and socio-political activist Ruben Mascarenhas is the National Joint Secretary of India's youngest national political party, the Aam Admi Party (AAP). He also serves as the Party’s spokesperson and as Working President of the Mumbai Unit. He is the co-founder and director of Khaana Chahiye Foundation, which works toward solving hunger problems in urban India through policy advocacy and community mobilization. The Foundation was one of India's largest covid hunger relief programs, having served over 7.5 million cooked meals and supporting 6.5 lakh migrant workers during the migrant-worker exodus crisis. In 2009, as part of his JaagoRe! campaign, Ruben registered lakhs of Mumbai voters. In 2011, he was at the forefront of the India Against Corruption movement. In the same year, following the murder of two boys standing up to sexual harassment in Mumbai, Ruben launched the Zero Tolerance Campaign, successfully amending the anti-sexual harassment law in Maharashtra. A digital evangelist, Ruben was awarded the title of Mumbai Heroes for contributing to the highest-ever voter turnout in Mumbai in 2018. He was also a part of the founding team of SERV’D, which was a Bill Gates-funded entity to make domestic workers financially independent and debt free.

KENYA
 

Monica Munyendo is a judicial officer working with the Kenyan Judiciary. At present, she serves as a Principal Magistrate in Central Kenya, where she also heads a court station. She has eleven years of experience on the bench, where she handles both civil and criminal matters. During her tenure at Kilgoris court in Narok county, she trained on the legal framework of Female Genital Mutilation and has subsequently trained women and young girls within her jurisdiction to abandon the deep-rooted, harmful traditional practice. Monica is committed to fostering access to justice through promoting alternative justice systems, for example, in cases where elders facilitate parties to resolve their disputes. Previously, she worked at the Kenyan Judiciary Academy and was a trainer on election dispute resolution in the last election cycle. Monica is a Barer Fellow and holds a Master's degree in Law in Sustainable International Development from the University of Washington.

LEBANON
 

Ghina Bou Chakra is a Lebanese human rights defender and an advocate for civic engagement. She currently serves as Amnesty International’s Regional Media Officer for the Middle East and North Africa, exposing human rights violations within a complex landscape of enduring challenges such as political repression, gender inequality, and the stifling of dissent. In 2022, Ghina played a significant role in the Lebanese parliamentary elections, developing a media, public relations, and advocacy plan for one of the most successful anti-establishment electoral lists. Throughout Lebanon’s transformative uprising of October 17, 2019, Ghina was present on the frontlines, organizing and participating in protests over several months and ensuring the authentic narrative of the uprising reached the masses. Over the past decade, Ghina has spearheaded and participated in initiatives on environmental justice, gender equality, and social entrepreneurship. In 2021, she served as the President of Junior Chamber International (JCI) in Lebanon, empowering youth to effect positive change within their communities.
 

Sally Abi Khalil is a humanitarian and development practitioner with twenty years of experience in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Tunisia, Egypt, and Syria. She is currently the Middle East and North Africa Director of Oxfam International. As the first Lebanese woman to run a major international NGO within the Syria Response in Lebanon, she has led humanitarian response programming, programs supporting youth and women with social innovation and social entrepreneurship initiatives, promoted the right to decent work, worked for the establishment of civil society networks, and promoted feminist approaches towards leadership and collective action. Sally’s career has followed the trajectory of civil unrest in the Arab region, where she played various roles in shaping civil society development and organizational leadership. She began her career at UNDP in Lebanon and later went on to co-direct the Tharwa Project, an independent initiative launched in Syria to foster new avenues for communication and activism in the Arab region. Following the Cedar Revolution of 2005, Sally joined the National Democracy Institute (NDI), where she managed Citizen Lebanon, a nationwide civic education and advocacy program. During the Arab Spring of 2011, she worked on the Maghreb Youth Political Party Leadership Program in Tunisia and then went on to lead NDI’s Syria country program focusing on youth political leadership development and political party development.

LIBYA
 

Yosra Ben Nagi is a Libyan international development expert leading complex projects with a focus on private sector development. In 2018, she led the team responsible for the establishment of the first microfinance institution in Libya. Dedicated to promoting good governance and economic growth, Yosra currently supports the Libyan Ministry of Economy and Trade in introducing economic reforms to improve the business environment and design public policies for economic diversification, regional integration, trade, and investment. Previously, she worked as an independent consultant in Extractive Industries Governance for Chemonics and the Natural Resource Governance Institute’s 2017 Resource Governance Index. She also served as an investment analyst at the Central Bank of Libya and Libya Africa Investment Portfolio. As a Chevening scholar, Yosra pursued her master’s degree in the United Kingdom and obtained an MSC. in International Business. She also holds a BSc. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tripoli. 

MALI
 

El Hadj Djitteye has 12 years of experience in international development and peacebuilding. He has worked with the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office, Caravan to Class, the United States Department of State, Creative Associates International, the Center for Civilians in Conflict, Global Integrity, the Global Initiative Against Organized Crime, and the United Nations Mission in Mali. He is the Founder and Executive Director of the Timbuktu Center for Strategic Studies on the Sahel and is also an Obama Leader, One Young World Peace Ambassador, and Mandela Washington Fellow. As a survivor of the war in Mali and other conflicts across Sub-Saharan Africa, El Hadj is motivated to settle regional cultural and land conflicts and prevent extremist radicalization among youth. He holds Master’s degrees in English language and literature and international relations and diplomacy, and his writing and research explore good governance, political transition, democracy, peace and security, youth civic engagement, violent extremism, irregular migration, and cultural heritage development.

MONGOLIA
 

Dr. Ankhbayar Begz, also known as Paul R. Anka, is a gender studies expert and Coordinator of the Gender Equality Research Program at the Mitchell Foundation for Arts and Sciences. He holds a Master's degree in education and a Ph.D. in Gender Studies. During his studies, he developed a new index to evaluate gender equality at institutions of higher education. Paul is also an accomplished photographer. He co-founded and served as President of the "Tusgal" photography club for 10 years, which grew to be the largest club in Mongolia. His exhibit, "Portraits of Renown Literary Figures of Mongolia," showcased his passion for portrait photography. Paul was most recently a visiting scholar at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC) at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) during the 2022-2023 academic year.

NIGERIA
 

Ann Iyonu is the Executive Director of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, founded by the former Nigerian president Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. At the heart of the Foundation’s mandate is the protection of democratic integrity, prevention of violent conflicts, and promotion of peaceful resolution of disputes across Africa. Ann is also the coordinator of the West African Elders Forum (WAEF). The Forum draws on the experience and standing of its members to provide advisory, mediation, and conflict resolution support services to political leaders to sustain and advance democracy not only in West Africa but the entire continent of Africa. Since its inception in March 2020, WAEF has successfully played an active role in mediating peaceful elections in The Gambia. It has also intervened — with quiet diplomacy — in addressing nascent political challenges in several countries by reaching out to and engaging with key political leaders at the highest level. For more than a decade, Ann has worked on various democracy promotion, peace and security, and governance initiatives in the West African sub-region. This includes positions with the Institute for War and Peace Reporting and The Right to Know Nigeria, where she worked to empower citizens and exact accountability through the promotion of the freedom of information. Ann has also been a consultant to several international and national organizations, including the Open Government Partnership, as IRM Researcher, Nigeria.
 

Dr. Chika Charles Aniekwe has over 19 years of experience in democratic governance, transition, conflict, peacebuilding, and stabilization. He has worked across multiple contexts — from conflict and post-conflict countries such as Sierra Leone and Chad to emerging economies such as Ethiopia and low-middle income such as Ghana and Lesotho. He is a Senior Advisor and Head of Stabilization for the UNDP/LCBC Lake Chad Basin Regional Stabilization Strategy. Dr. Aniekwe holds a Ph.D. in Development Studies, a Master’s degree in International Development from the University of Bradford, and a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the Enugu State University of Science and Technology. His previous publications include The African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance: Trends, Challenges and Perspectives; The African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance: Past, Present and Future; and Crime and Terror Nexus: The Intersections Between Terror and Criminal Groups in the Lake Chad Basin.

PAKISTAN
 

Saqiba Mannan is a mid-career civil servant in Pakistan with over a decade of experience in the field of taxation. Mannan began her career in government after working as a corporate consultant for three years and completing her law degree. With 10 years of experience, she has established herself as an expert in tax audits. Currently, Mannan serves as General Manager of Finance & Accounts at Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP), a state-owned enterprise responsible for ensuring food security. Mannan's future goals include focusing on the policy side of public service delivery systems and working as an international taxation consultant.

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA
 

Radu Marian has been a Member of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova since 2019 and is currently the Chairman of the Economic, Budget, and Finance Committee of the Moldovan Parliament. He is a founding member of the Party of Action and Solidarity and currently serves as the party’s vice president. Prior to his career in public service, Radu worked at the local Independent think-tank “Expert-Grup” from 2013-2016 and co-founded the educational project Twenty-Tu in 2017-2018. Radu holds a Master’s degree in international business from the University of Edinburgh and was also a Chevening scholar. He is included in the Alumni 100 list of the University of Edinburgh Business School for outstanding achievements after graduation. Raadu also holds a Bachelor’s degree in finance & banking from the Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova and completed a one-year fellowship in marketing in the United States at the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

RUSSIA
 

Polina Machold is a publisher managing the financial and technical aspects of a Russian online journal, “The Project” (Proekt). Her expertise in fundraising, marketing, and IT has enabled her to build sustainable media projects with a strong focus on democratic values. Polina's unwavering commitment to freedom of speech in Russia since 2011 has given her unique experience in managing crises in Russian media, including successfully leading the Proekt team through their escape from Russia in 2021 after being named an "undesirable organization" by the Russian state. With over a decade of experience in the media industry, Polina has a deep understanding of the media landscape and is always exploring new trends and technologies to stay ahead of the curve.
 

A lawyer by training, Yulia Gorbunova is Human Rights Watch’s senior researcher on Ukraine, where she has worked extensively documenting war crimes in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Prior to the most recent Russian invasion, Yulia documented abuses in the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine, and in occupied Crimea, including enforced disappearances, prosecution, and detention of Crimean Tatars and other abuses by paramilitary groups. She has focused on a range of other issues in Ukraine, including refugee rights, the right to health, and the rights of the elderly and people with disabilities. She has also worked on promoting women’s rights and the freedoms of assembly, association, and speech in several other countries in Europe and the Central Asian region. Yulia holds a Master’s degree from the University of Western Sydney and a Bachelor's in law with a focus on criminal law and international law.

SIERRA LEONE
 

Hamid Gbawuru Marah is a business thought leader and development management practitioner with full-cycle project management expertise, including various standards of program designing, implementation, monitoring, learning, and controlling. His career has been balanced between nongovernmental organizations, the public sector, and multilateral organizations and private sector development experience. This has included businesses in West Africa, managing business accelerators, as well as youth employment and women's economic empowerment initiatives like market systems development for employment (MSD4E), value chain development (VCD), and private sector development (PSD).

UGANDA
 

Anthony Masake is a lawyer with 17 years of work experience on the frontlines of defending human rights and advancing legal aid in Uganda. He works with human rights defenders and civil society organizations to advance civic space both on- and offline. He has conducted extensive research on human rights and led training on fair trials, human rights monitoring and documentation, human rights advocacy, strategic litigation, and first legal response. Anthony currently works with Chapter Four Uganda as the Acting Executive Director and Director of Programs. Previously, he worked with Uganda’s Bar Association for 8 years in legal aid service provision for the most vulnerable sections of society. He is also a columnist and a commentator on current affairs.

UKRAINE

Our six Ukrainian fellows are jointly participating in CDDRL’s Strengthening Ukrainian Democracy and Development Program.
 

Anton Turupalov is a political consulting and government relations professional in Ukraine with extensive experience in public service. He has previously served as Deputy Mayor of Mykolayiv, Advisor to the Minister of Healthcare of Ukraine, and Advisor to the Head of the Parliament of Ukraine. Anton's expertise lies in regional policy and local administration. As a key advisor on regional policy to the former Prime Minister of Ukraine, he played a pivotal role in implementing groundbreaking system changes, including land and administrative reform. Anton organized Ukraine's first coronavirus isolation facility during the COVID-19 pandemic under challenging circumstances. Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022, Anton co-organized the Assistance Coordination Center in Warsaw, a hub for coordinating humanitarian aid between Ukrainian and Polish authorities, international donors, and organizations. Currently based in Warsaw, Anton serves as an advisor to the Minister of Agriculture and Food of Ukraine.
 

Gulsanna Mamediieva led the European and NATO integration of Ukraine's digital sector, focusing on various components like electronic communications, e-services, privacy, digital skills, and more. Since February 2022, she has been responsible for coordinating international technical assistance to support Ukraine's digital resistance to Russia’s invasion. Gulsanna serves as a member of the Council of Europe's Committee on Artificial Intelligence, Eastern Partnership Countries' Harmonization Digital Market Coordinator for Ukraine, and as Ukraine's representative in other international organizations. She is Visiting Fellow at the McCourt School for Public Policy at Georgetown University. She holds a Master's degree in Information Technology Law from the University of Tartu, Estonia, and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Internet Law at the Kyiv Institute of International Relations. Prior to her government role, Gulsanna worked as an IT lawyer at DLA Piper Ukraine, specializing in ICT and Intellectual Property.
 

Halyna Yanchenko was elected to the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) in 2019 and is the Deputy Chair of Sluha Narodum “SN” (Servant of the People), a centrist, pro-European and anti-corruption Party. Shortly after her election, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, tapped her to lead government investment efforts. In January 2022, she was appointed as a Secretary in the National Investment Council of Ukraine. In addition, she chairs the Temporary Special Commission of the Verkhovna Rada on protecting investor rights. Prior to being elected to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, she led the Civil Oversight Council at the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine. In 2014-2015 was a deputy of the Kyiv city council. Halyna earned a Master’s Degree in Sociology from the National University Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. She also studied for one year at the Wichita Falls High School in Texas.
 

Konstantyn Chyzhyk is a Partner at British-Ukrainian law and consultancy firm Hillmont Partners, helping international companies develop business in Ukraine and advising the government and the parliament on economic and judicial reforms. As Deputy Minister of Energy and Ecology, Konstantyn coordinated European integration, investments, digital transformation, and security, worked on renewable energy sector stabilization and reform, launched new auctions on gas extraction, and managed the largest sectoral loan and grant portfolio in the government of $1.2B. As Deputy Head and later as Head of the Investment Promotion Office under the President of Ukraine, Konstantyn unlocked and secured more than $1B of foreign direct investments. As Head of Communications and International Relations of the Ministry of Finance, he promoted IMF-backed reforms and managed cooperation with investors and the IMF, World Bank, EBRD, and EIB.
 

Mykhailo Pavliuk is vice-chairman of the Chernivtsi Oblast (state) legislature in Ukraine. Among his central duties is the protection of the mutual interests of communities (known in Ukrainian as hromadas) and local governing bodies. His interests have long been focused on Euro-Atlantic integration, decentralization and deconcentration of authority in Ukraine, and the engagement of public and non-governmental organizations in policymaking. As acting Governor of the Chernivtsi Oblast State Administration in 2018-2019, Mykhailo focused on the creation of a successful administrative structure of new, capable, self-sufficient communities. In 2006-2010 shortly after his university graduation, he also organized long-term public discussions about the advantages for Ukraine of European Union and NATO membership. In his spare time, Mykhailo volunteers to deliver humanitarian aid to liberated areas of Ukraine and to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He also supports internally displaced persons in Chernivtsi and coordinates their resettlement.
 

Olena Kutsai is a lawyer with more than 15 years of experience in the international corporate sector, including work for Chevron and Scorpio Real Estate corporations. Olena currently serves as a Member of the Secretariat of the Business Ombudsman Council of Ukraine and is a Member of the Peace Coalition. In the Business Ombudsman Council, Olena leads high-level dialogues focused on improving the business environment in Ukraine. She is responsible for strategic cooperation with a number of stakeholders, including the Ministry of Digital Transformation and the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources. Olena drives several special initiatives to support the reconstruction and recovery of Ukraine following Russia’s invasion in 2022. She also develops policy recommendations promoting good governance, sustainable development, and the rule of law in Ukraine, working with the Government of Ukraine, Verkhovna Rada (parliament), the Office of the President of Ukraine, business associations, non-governmental institutions, international financial institutions (World Bank, EBRD), and international development organizations such as USAID and Agriteam. Olena is an author and co-author of the Council’s educational webinars and training for the private and public sectors. She holds a Master’s of Public Administration from the Ukrainian Catholic University and a Master’s of Law from the Eastern European University. Olena is a graduate of the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law’s Leadership Academy for Development (Stanford University) and an advanced leadership course at Harvard Business School.

UZBEKISTAN
 

Farrukh Irnazarov is a co-founder and Country Director at the Central Asian Development Institute and RANSIF Group. He has more than 15 years of experience working on economic development and investment strategies, trade and transportation, labor migration, and agribusiness, and has managed projects for the World Bank, ADB, UNDP, IOM, GIZ, USAID, UNICEF, GDN, Volkswagen, Gerda Henkel, and PeaceNexus Foundations. From 2014-2019, he was also a Visiting Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars (Johns Hopkins University and George Washington University in Washington, DC). Previously, Farrukh worked for the University of Applied Sciences Goettingen, the National College of Ireland, and the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations of Uzbekistan. Farrukh teaches master classes on leadership, communication, and interviewing in difficult environments, and he is a member of Traveler’s Century Club (having visited 100+ countries). Farrukh has two Master’s in Sciences from Sweden — in Business Administration and Economics from Stockholm University (2006) and in International and European Relations from Linköping University (2005).

VENEZUELA
 

Alonso Moleiro is a Venezuelan journalist, writer, political analyst, civic activist, and radio anchor in Caracas, Venezuela. He graduated as a journalist from the Central Venezuelan University and has worked as a reporter and columnist in El Globo and El Nacional newspapers. He is the founder and director of the magazine Contrabando, a Venezuelan TV commentator, and served as Vice President of the National Council of Journalists from 2008-2010. Alonso was a radio anchor in the Union Radio Circuit for 10 years until the Maduro government ordered that his daily program be taken off the air. Alonso also worked as an advisor and consultant for public and private affairs, and as a volunteer in some civil and political movements that have been fighting to restore democracy in Venezuela. Alonso is the author of two books and is a member of the editorial council of the opposition newspaper Tal Cual. He currently works as a correspondent for the Spanish newspaper El País in Caracas.
 

Cristofer Correia is a political leader, businessman, and the author of the book Inclusive Urban Regeneration, in which public policies are proposed for poverty eradication in cities. He has pursued graduate degrees in Spain, the UK, and the United States, and is both a Chevening and Fulbright alumnus. In his political work, Cristofer is the National Training Coordinator of Voluntad Popular, an opposition political party in Venezuela led by Leopoldo Lopez and Juan Guaido. He is also CEO of Es Noticia, a WhatsApp network of 600 groups and 50,000 direct users for disseminating accurate information and overcoming censorship in Venezuela. Previously, he served as General Director of Citizen Participation at the National Assembly of Venezuela and as National Coordinator at Volunteers for Venezuela, a platform that has brought together more than 500,000 volunteers for humanitarian care in the country. Cristofer is a lecturer in Public Management at Andrés Bello Catholic University.

Gandhi reminisced about the ‘Unite India March,’ a democratic-inspired walk he led across the country that started with 125 people in September 2022 and ended with millions of people joining the 2,540-mile journey. And, although the ruling government had all the “force,” the instruments of control in society, the marchers were never stopped, he noted.

“This was a question that just kept rotating in my mind,” Gandhi said. “They have the force, but they don’t have power, and I realized that force and power are two completely different things. Most politicians confuse force and power, and they think they're the same thing. They’re completely different things. Power is an act of imagination, always in the present, and it is not linear. And power comes when you go close to the truth. That’s why we could not be stopped by force.”

He compared this to other moments of “power” in history, such as when President Kennedy said, ‘let’s go to the moon,’ or when Mahatma Gandhi stood up to the British Empire colonial powers in India, and when the American colonists created the Declaration of Independence to start separating from Britain.

Gandhi said acts of “force” did not drive these historical turning points; rather, they revealed the magnitude of the power of imagination that potentially exists among people to create a better, more just, and visionary world.

Such visioning needs to also inspire and transform the U.S.-India relationship, he believes.

“We already have a bridge between us, and it’s important that this bridge is not simply a bridge based on force, but that it is a bridge based on understanding of the realities of both our people,” said Gandhi, noting the software and technical skills of the Indian people in general match up extremely well with the leading-edge technology systems and markets in the U.S.

U.S. Relationship, Manufacturing, China

After his remarks, Gandhi engaged in an audience Q&A and conversation with Dinsha Mistree, an affiliated scholar with CDDRL. Gandhi elaborated that the political disconnect in India is attributable to a concentration of wealth, inequality throughout society, the current political system, and technology that’s outpacing the ability of social systems and people to digest and manage all the connectivity.

“With social media and technology, there’s a bit of a lag between the political system and technological progress, and I think democracies are struggling with that. I think evolution in the systems is going to take some time, but it’ll happen,” he said.

On economics, Gandhi said that while China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a massive infrastructure project that aims to stretch around the globe and seems to promote prosperity, it’s ultimately a non-democratic and authoritarian vision of the world. More visioning needs to be done by leading democratic countries on what prosperity entails for societies that may not be as wealthy as others.

“What’s the counter vision? So that’s where I see the gap. Of course, there is military cooperation (with the U.S.). That’s important. But it can’t just be military cooperation,” he said.

As for China, their top-down manufacturing policies are a challenge for democratic countries like India. Gandhi recommends that India follows a more decentralized manufacturing process.

“You cannot simply ignore the manufacturing might of China. You have to compete with. I don’t think it’s an option. So, what does that competition look like? I’m not talking about conflict, I’m talking about competition. How do we create an alternative vision?” he said, adding that it was a “fatal mistake” for the U.S. to parcel out its manufacturing in recent decades to China.

In response to an audience question on India’s position of formal neutrality in the Ukraine-Russia war, Gandhi said, “We have a relationship with Russia, and we have certain dependencies on Russia. So, I would have a very similar stance as the government of India. I mean, it might not be popular, but it is what it is. At the end of the day, we have to also look out for our interests.”

Democracy and Political Opposition

Mistree shared in an email prior to the event that Gandhi believes that India and the U.S. could work together in better ways on trade and economics.

For example, Gandhi’s view is that India could become a manufacturing powerhouse, which is a departure from the current ruling party’s position, while the U.S. continues to innovate and turns to India for more of its manufacturing needs, Mistree said.

“There’s a lot of space for these two countries to work much more closely together,” he said, adding that the Indian diaspora in America represents the second largest immigrant group in the country right now, and both countries share common security challenges in Asia.

Larry Diamond, Mosbacher Senior Fellow in Global Democracy at FSI, noted that Gandhi is the leader of the most important opposition party in India.

“You can’t have a democracy unless you have a political opposition that is free to criticize the ruling party, and contest for power. He has also been questioning directly the concentration and abuse of power by the current government,” Diamond wrote in an email prior to Gandhi’s talk.

Diamond added that U.S. and India have important, economic and strategic interests that should move forward in partnership based on their own logic.

“We need to hear and take seriously the concerns of political opposition and civil society in India, and we need to make clear to the Indian government that violations of basic democratic standards present obstacles to the deepening of U.S.-Indian ties,” Diamond said.

Gandhi was on a six-day visit to the United States to interact with the Indian diaspora and express his party’s commitment to democratic values in India and across the world.

He said, “There are difficult times, but there are also times of opportunity. I think there are times when acts of imagination and acts of true power will resonate and can transform the way we think of ourselves.”