Why the Greatest Political Idea of the 20th Century Needs a Bit of Assistance Today.
The Biden-Harris administration has a commitment to multi-lateral engagement, including the promotion of democracy. The concern in 2021 is that democracies are under threat - everywhere. What’s this threat? How do we address it? In this episode of GDP we look at the role of democracy assistance in international development. The Parliamentary Centre in Ottawa is hosting the Global Democracy Dialogues. A year-long program meant to strengthen bilateral ties between the US and Canada in the area of international democracy support, a mutual security and human rights priority area. The series of 13 dialogues will run from April 2021 to July 2022. The Global Development Primer podcast is proud to partner with the Parliamentary Centre to take a deep dive into the world of democracy assistance and development. To set it all up, in this episode Tom Cormier, President and CEO of the Parlimentary Centre, and Brian Naranjo, Minister Counselor for Political Affairs and Acting Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Canada discuss what democracy assistance is all about. Tom Cormier is President and CEO of the Parliamentary Centre and believes that inclusive democracies deliver better development outcomes. He is a democratic governance expert with over 30 years of experience in over 30 countries in Europe, Eurasia, Asia, the Americas and Africa. Involved in national politics in Canada for over a decade, Tom participated in numerous election campaigns and worked as an advisor to several Members of Parliament, including serving as Executive Assistant to a member of the federal Cabinet. Brian R. Naranjo is presently serving as the Acting Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy in Canada, and is the Minister-Counselor for Political Affairs. Prior to Ottawa, he served as Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela from July 2014 until June 2018. Previously, in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, he was the Acting Director of the Office of Policy Planning and Coordination from May 2012 to May 2014 and Executive Assistant to Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs. Check out the Parliamentary Centre here. Follow the US Embassy in Canada on Twitter: @usembassyottawa. Follow Dr. Bob here on Twitter: @ProfessorHuish