Trend or Exception? Democratization in Armenia and Authoritarianism Worldwide
April 30, 2019, at Fong Auditorium in Boylston Hall at Harvard University, in Cambridge, MA

MODERATOR: Dr. Lisa Gulesserian, Harvard University

PANELISTS
Valerie Sperling, Department of Political Science, Clark University
Dimitri Sotiropoulos, Visiting Scholar, Center for European Studies, Harvard University
Anna Ohanyan, Richard B. Finnegan Distinguished Professor of Political Science and International Relations, Stonehill College

At a time when there is great concern over the apparent decline of liberal democracy around the world, in 2018 Armenia seemed to be a notable exception and was hailed as “badly needed good news for democracy” by the Washington Post. As the one-year anniversary of the Velvet Revolution approaches, is the news still good? Is Armenia an outlier, an exceptional case in a world where government-by-strong-man increasingly is the model? What can be learned from the examples of other states where democracy is in peril? Join with a panel of distinguished scholars to discuss these and other issues relating to democracy and authoritarianism in Armenia and around the world.

CO-SPONSORS

The National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) / Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Lecture Series on Contemporary Armenian Topics

Armenian General Benevolent Union Young Professionals (AGBU YP) of Boston

Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics

The Harvard Armenian Students Association