Join the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR), Harvard Armenian Students Association and AGBU Young Professionals for a panel discussion on Armenian democratization. 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.

This event is free and open to the public. There will be refreshments and a reception immediately following the program and question-and-answer session.

Speakers:

Anna Ohanyan, professor of political science and international relations, Stonehill College

Dmitri Sotiropoulos, visiting scholar, Center for European Studies, Harvard University

Valerie Sperling, department of political science, Clark University