Day-long event showcases McCain Institute’s work to tackle urgent global challenges
Washington, D.C. (December 6, 2024) – The McCain Institute at Arizona State University (ASU) held its inaugural Washington Forum on December 5, 2024, showcasing the McCain Institute’swork and convening government leaders, pro-democracy activists, journalists, human rights defenders, and other thought leaders focused on human rights, democracy, and global security.
“This event comes at a critical moment as we confront some of the most urgent and complex challenges of our time, alongside a shifting domestic political environment. Just this week, we saw alarming threats to democracy in South Korea and Georgia, escalating conflict in Syria, ongoing Chinese military aggression in the Indo-Pacific, and continuing wars in Ukraine and Gaza,” said McCain Institute Executive Director Dr. Evelyn Farkas. “If John McCain were here today, he would be on the front lines of these conflicts, standing with our democratic allies and serving as a voice for the voiceless. The McCain Institute’s Washington Forum convened leaders and activists who are carrying forward the values Senator McCain stood for.”
The event theme, “Democracy, Human Rights & Leadership in Action,” included conversations on forced labor, global security, American leadership, global power competition, and more. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, Venezuelan Opposition Leader and Pro-Democracy Activist Leopoldo Lopez, and Co-Anchor of the PBS News Hour Amna Nawaz were among more than 20 speakers at the event.
“As we confront an uncertain future for domestic and global democracy, the Washington Forum illuminated the rising threat of authoritarianism and existential need to defend democracy and human rights,” said McCain Institute Chief Program Officer Kristen Leanderson Abrams. “Senator McCain was never afraid to call out autocrats, and we’ve assembled an amazing group of policy experts, journalists, and civil society leaders who similarly refuse to concede the fight for democracy.”
Photos and recordings of the panels will be available HERE in the coming days.
