The western world waits to see what the outcomes of the uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East will be. Will these predominantly Muslim countries follow Eastern Europe in the 1980s and embrace liberal democracy, as the American philosopher and theorist Francis Fukuyama once predicted? Opinion is divided on the role the developed world should play in supporting pro-democratic forces in these countries. US, France and the UK have led the way in calling for liberal interventionism, safeguarding civilians from Gadaffi’s forces in Libya. Others – such as Germany and Russia – believe interventionism has failed in the past, and is not helpful for Western interests or global stability in the long-term. Should the western world help spread liberal democracy across the world and, if so, how?
Speakers:
Tobias Ellwood MP, PPS to Liam Fox MP, Secretary of State for Defence
Douglas Murray, Associate Director of the Henry Jackson Society
Date: Tuesday 12th July 2011, 7pm-8pm
Venue: Wilson Room, Portcullis House, House of Commons, London. SW1A 0AA