AAD Annual Monticello Conference 2024 Panel Disscusion

Video Description

Americans believe in elections as an essential element of democracy and stable government. But sometimes, elections not only change leaders but whole policy. The results of foreign elections can trigger American emotions ranging from elation to anger. U.S. elections can confuse foreigners, cause them to reevaluate their policies, and set off long-term policy changes and alignments abroad. Amid swirling electoral currents, U.S. diplomats are charged with maintaining our relations, explaining foreigners to Washington and Washington to foreigners, and advancing our interests even when we change our mind about what these are. Dr. M. Graeme Bannerman is a Scholar at the Middle East Institute, as well as Board Chair Emeritus of Hands Along the Nile and a Member of the Board of Partnership for a Secure America and on the Advisory Board of the American Chamber of Commerce in Cairo. He has served as an international observer of elections in Georgia, the Philippines, Haiti, Pakistan, West Bank/Gaza, Mongolia, Yemen, and Lebanon. In his presentation US Observation: Validation or Interface? Dr. Bannerman will examine how both American and international observers watch elections, rate them, and often publicly speak to their conduct and fairness. Ambassador Philip S. Kosnett represented the United States in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia during a Foreign Service career that focused on international security and post-conflict governance. Kosnett now consults, comments, and writes on global affairs and has taken on roles in education and humanitarian action. Ambassador Kosnett’s presentation, American Elections: What just happened? will look at the American electoral system and discuss how an ambassador maintains relations and advances key interests when a new administration arrives in Washington with radically different policy ideas. Ambassador Wanda L. Nesbitt retired from the Department of State in 2019 with the rank of Career Minister. During her 38-year career, she served as U.S. Ambassador to Madagascar, Cote D’Ivoire and Namibia, as well as at numerous other posts around the world. From 2013 to 2016 she also served as the Senior Vice President of the National Defense University. Ambassador Nesbitt’s presentation, Policy Change Abroad: What Can Be Done When a Country’s Election Upturns Relations with the United States? will analyze how an ambassador manages such a situation or the abrupt change in policy of the host nation. Ambassador Thomas A. Shannon, Jr. holds the personal rank of Career Ambassador and most recently served as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (2016-2018). In 2017, he briefly served as acting U.S. Secretary of State until Rex Tillerson was confirmed. He spent nearly 35 years in the Foreign Service and has served six U.S. Presidents and eleven Secretaries of State. Ambassador Shannon currently serves as a Senior International Policy Advisor at Arnold & Porter. Ambassador Shannon’s talk will provide a broad reflection on the intersection of elections and diplomacy, both foreign and domestic, and look at how they impact the image and interests of the United States around the world.