The Global Challenge to Democracy and Lessons for Renewal

What lessons can we draw about renewing democracy at a time when Freedom House reports the 19th straight year of declining global freedom? Across the Atlantic, surveys show that people are dissatisfied with democracy and frustrated with their political leaders. Rapid changes in technology and information are reshaping the public sphere – often in ways that erode trust in institutions and influence elections. These challenges are not isolated but part of a global trend in which political movements are questioning long-standing principles of free speech, accountability, and rule of law. What can we learn from recent events in the United States and Europe, as well as from others facing similar challenges around the world? Their experiences highlight the urgency of building a positive vision for democracy – one that can mobilize broad coalitions and connect the dots of a global playbook at work.

Join us for a conversation with John K. Glenn, George Washington University, and Ksenia Iliuk, Let’s Data, on The Global Challenge to Democracy and Lessons for Renewal.

Biographies

John K. Glenn is a professorial lecturer in international affairs at George Washington University, with over 20 years of experience on democracy and transatlantic relations in the nonprofit, foundation, and academic sectors. He served until recently as senior director of the International Forum for Democratic Studies at the National Endowment for Democracy. For his work at NED, he was sanctioned by the Russian Foreign Ministry and banned from travel to the country. He previously served as policy director at the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, director of foreign policy at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, and executive director of the Council for European Studies.

Ksenia Iliuk is the co-founder and COO of LetsData, a company she co-founded in wartime Ukraine where she leads research and product development on detecting information operations, working closely with governmental and enterprise clients. She has over ten years of experience analyzing information operations in Europe, previously heading research at Detector Media in Ukraine. Ksenia also worked with multiple European governments on countering online threats. She was recognized on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list for her work.