Malaysia's Anwar Ibrahim on Lessons for Asia from Egypt and Tunisia
Recent popular uprisings in the Muslim world — Iran's now-dormant Green Movement, Tunisia's Jasmine Revolution, and the still unfolding popular revolt in Egypt — seem to have a common purpose of ending decades of autocratic rule while securing a greater political voice and participation by ordinary people.
However, it is questionable as to whether these uprisings can bring about meaningful democratic changes in these countries and other parts of the world with authoritarian regimes and what implications such changes would have for American foreign policy.
Join us for a discussion with Malaysia's Anwar Ibrahim about the far-reaching implications of these uprisings for the future of democratic transitions in Asia on February 8, 2011 at 6:30 pm ET in New York.
Anwar is bound to have an interesting perspective on these big questions. He remains a controversial figure in Malaysia. Over the years he's ridden a political and personal roller coaster: from Deputy Prime Minister, to a defendant in court, to a prison inmate. After being banned from parliament he's taken over the helm of the opposition and has become an advocate for democratic reform in Islamic societies.
Tickets for the program are available online and the conversation will also be a free live video webcast on AsiaSociety.org/Live from 6:30 to 8:00 pm ET.
In the meantime, tell us what you think. What are the implications of popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt for the future of democratic transitions in Asia?
Also, submit your questions for Anwar Ibrahim below. We'll pick the best ones to ask him during the event.
This post originally appeared on Asia Blog.