On August 27 at 8 am PT, the Pacific Council is hosting a conversation with Manpreet Singh Anand, Asia Regional Director at the National Democratic Institute (NDI), and Kristen Sample, NDI’s Director of Governance, to discuss the current state of democracy in Asia and its implications for U.S. national interests.

As countries across the Asia region confront challenges such as democratic backsliding, rising authoritarianism, and restrictions on civil society, this discussion will examine the potential implications for regional stability, international norms, and American foreign policy.

Why it’s important:

• Drastic cuts to U.S. foreign policy assistance have the potential to reduce American influence abroad, creating opportunities for China to use development aid to promote autocracy and U.S. opposition. 
• In 2024, Bangladesh and Pakistan hosted elections where autocratic leaders were accused of cheating, detaining politicians, and using other methods to remain in office. 
• The Economist Intelligence Group’s (EIU) 2024 Democracy Index shows that Asia and Australasia continue to lag behind the rest of the world, with more than half of the 28 Asian countries included in their index recording score declines.
• Even stable democracies faced challenges, with former President of South Korea Yoon Suk-Yeol briefly declaring martial law, which was swiftly overturned by parliament.

Please send questions in advance to events@pacificcouncil.org.

To register for this webinar, visit the Zoom Registration Page.

Guest Speaker

Manpreet Singh Anand joined the National Democratic Institute in 2019 as Regional Director for the Asia-Pacific region. In his long and varied career, Mr. Anand has worked as a senior leader in the public and private sectors in the areas of diplomacy, international development, foreign policy, strategic partnerships, energy, and national security.  

Previously, Mr. Anand served in the Obama Administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia and Deputy Assistant Administrator at the U.S. Agency for International Development. In addition, he was on the faculty of the National Defense University as a Distinguished Professor of Practice and led the South Asia practice of the Albright Stonebridge Group as Senior Vice President. Mr. Anand's work in the private sector included serving as a Senior Policy Advisor for the Chevron Corporation, where he provided policy analysis and guidance on emerging geopolitical and socio-economic issues. Mr. Anand also spent time on Capitol Hill as the senior staffer for South and Central Asia issues on the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs. 

Mr. Anand continues to hold an Adjunct Senior Fellow position at the Center for a New American Security, a respected think tank in Washington, DC. Mr. Anand earned an MBA and an MA in International Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, as well as a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. 

Guest Speaker

Kristen Sample has more than 20 years of experience on issues related to democratic governance. Currently, she serves as the director of the Democratic Governance team at the National Democratic Institute, focusing on anti-corruption and governance reform and strengthening. Prior to this, she was the director of global programs at the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), where she oversaw the organization’s comparative research. Sample has experience working in other countries in the region, including Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. She regularly consults for various US and international organizations and has published extensively on issues related to anti-corruption, accountability, citizen security, political representation, and gender.

 

To register for this webinar, visit the Zoom Registration Page.