The Horizons Project’s Post

A timely discussion!

Excited for this important conversation! How do activists organize in repressive contexts? How do they evade surveillance and build power in the face of attacks? Join us to discuss concrete, practical lessons:

For those who missed the live discussion, you can now watch the video.

🎥 Protecting Democracy in Europe: Webinar Recording with Dr. Tom Theuns Now Available! We kicked off 2025 with an exclusive EU-VALUES Network event featuring Dr. Tom Theuns of Leiden University, who presented key insights from his latest book, Protecting Democracy in Europe. Contributing to the discussion, renowed expert Prof. Vivien Schmidt of Boston University provided her reflections, offering deeper perspectives on these pressing issues 🇪🇺 Gain valuable insights into the challenges facing democracy in Europe today, including the rise of autocratic tendencies, threats to pluralism, and critical governance concerns. 📺 Watch the full webinar now on our YouTube channel: 👉 https://lnkd.in/djye37dD 📖 Keen to learn more or get a copy of the book? Protecting Democracy in Europe, published by Hurst Publishers in 2024, is available here: https://lnkd.in/eUAHB8US #Democracy #Governance #Pluralism #EU #PoliticalScience #ProtectingDemocracy

The increasing advocacy for non-Western democracy reflects a significant pushback against Western democratic models, as countries like China and Russia promote governance systems that prioritize collective rights and state control. This shift challenges the universality of Western norms and values, leading to a more complex and multipolar international landscape. As non-Western powers continue to assert their influence, the discourse on democracy and governance will likely evolve, accommodating a broader range of perspectives and practices.

Securing democracy is the fight of our century, both at home and abroad. On the UN #InternationalDemocracyDay, I am glad to participate in discussions on the latest state of play, underpinning the pressing challenges in the face of a global rise of disinformation campaigns, celebrating positive spillovers of youth mobilisation and empowering and amplifying a call to defend democracy globally. As Laura Thornton, Senior Director of Global Democracy Programs at McCain Institute, shared: "Even if to debunk all the disinformation, we are still dealing with minds, hearts and values first of all." Carnegie Europe ENoP - European Network of Political Foundations European Partnership for Democracy (EPD) International IDEA European Endowment for Democracy (EED)

📣 Join Chief Network Weaver Julia Roig & Director for Race and Democracy Jarvis Williams at the upcoming conference at the Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley for the session they are leading with Míriam Juan-Torres González and Kazu Haga: “We are facing a moment in history that requires us to develop new organizing modalities. We have to come together to BLOCK the threats we are facing to our democratic values, we need to BRIDGE across differences to foster broad-based movements with the widest participation, and we have to BUILD together the future we want to live within our communities. In the quest to realize belonging for all, protect democracy, and combat authoritarian populism, movements have to be and do several things at once: how do we step into the many paradoxes of being both in resistance and restorative? How do we stay future-oriented and hopeful while acknowledging and redressing past and current harms? Can we reconcile the need for spaciousness to envision the future we want to create and act with the urgency that the current threats demand? Sometimes, as a result of these tensions movements break internally, instead of navigating and, at times, embracing these tensions to achieve higher shared goals. In this session, we will interrogate these seeming tensions (some of which are false binaries) and collectively investigate how we can wrestle – in practice – with those paradoxes, allowing us to move forward together with the broadest participation possible along many lines of difference.” See you in Oakland!! https://lnkd.in/er4S5mWj

This year has affirmed what we already knew to be true: LOCAL MATTERS. That’s why, we’re proud to share the impact of our work this year in our 2024 Year in Review. We will continue to work together to not only reimagine a better future but prove that a multi-racial democracy is possible. Together, we will meet this moment. 👉🏽 https://lnkd.in/gS2PENDM

How can citizens' assemblies reshape American governance? New America, FIDE - North America, and #ColumbiaWorldProjects met on April 18th to answer this question. "Lessons Learned: Exploring Citizens' Assemblies for Federal Engagement" united government officials, civic practitioners, and global experts at New America’s D.C. headquarters to explore how citizens' assemblies might support the work of federal agencies in shaping policies informed by public participation.   Learn more today: https://lnkd.in/e58eGBA7   #ColumbiaGlobal #ThinkingMeetsDoing #ColumbiaUniversity

Are we really in a fight between democracy and authoritarianism? Go to the 22nd Century Initiative's blog, The Anti-Authoritarian Playbook, to get into the debate.