2020 SUMMARY REPORT

The New York Times York with The New 2020 in association Democracy Forum Athens The New Abnormal: Reimagining Democracy

athensdemocracyforum.comathensdemocracyforum.com athensdemocracyforum.com The New Abnormal: Reimagining Democracy

2020 SUMMARY REPORT

1 athensdemocracyforum.com BESPOKE PANEL DISCUSSION “BUSINESS FOR PURPOSE” ROUNDTABLE

Sponsored by Mishcon de Reya and National Bank of Greece

Valerie Keller, Co-Founder and C.E.O., IMAGINE Alexander Rhodes, Head of Mishcon Purpose, Mishcon de Reya Costas Michaelides, Chairman of the Board, National Bank of Greece Mete Coban MBE, Founder and Chief Executive, My Life My Say

Moderated by Alison Smale, Journalist and Former Under Secretary General for Global Communications, United Nations

Alison Smale opened proceedings by reinforcing that what we need at this time is togetherness, a theme that would feature prominently over the duration of the Forum. Valerie Keller stated that the purpose of business espoused by Milton Friedman has not worked very well, and outlined the transition from the purpose of business being shareholder profits to serving broader society, using multistakeholder, long-term models that help to solve global challenges by putting the Sustainable Development Goals at their heart. It is not enough for a company to say that it is purpose driven, she said, warning that even Hitler had a purpose. She outlined her view that we no longer need purpose-driven businesses that are generally not doing harm, instead proposing a new frontier, whereby companies put solving societal challenges at the core of their business models and work across their value chains to change the whole sector. Reiterating Ms. Smale’s opening comments, she stated that companies are asking what they can do together that they cannot do alone.

Costas Michaelides affirmed his agreement, stating that when the right purpose combines with the right blend of passions and talents it can create an inspiring driving force. He underlined the importance of incorporating modern values and respecting the values of the past to drive duty, leadership and transformation. Discussing his bank’s transformation over the last two years, he expressed his belief that this process helped to prepare the organization in adjusting to new realities when Covid-19 arrived, which, in many ways, acted as a catalyst and an accelerator. He also reinforced the importance of strong alignment between purpose and the

3 company culture and values. The organization has to keep changing, he said, and it is important to make sure that the embedding of new ideas and the incorporation of new thoughts is designed in a flexible way and that progress can be measured along the way. He hailed the bank’s transformation as a demonstration of democracy at work.

Referencing the results of a recent opinion poll on social inclusion in London, Mete Coban placed a greater responsibility on business than on government, particularly the tech sector with its huge geographic and social reach. He outlined an initiative launched in his borough of Hackney – previously known as the most ‘ghetto’ borough but now home to London’s tech hub – to set metrics across various service areas of the council to fit in with an inclusive economy strategy, including apprenticeship initiatives offering incentives to those businesses employing a minimum of local people, adding that business massively benefits from having diversity and supporting inclusion.

Ms. Keller reinforced that businesses do not exist beyond their operating environment, and business leaders can only do so much in terms of transforming the wider system. She stated that acting together with regulators as partners allows purpose-driven businesses to generate a smart enabling environment to create the right incentives.

Joining virtually, Alexander Rhodes expressed his belief that purpose is not juxtaposed against profit, stating that it can be the animating force for business. He highlighted that the conceptualization of profit today is to solve problems for people and planet, and outlined a two-way shift towards making profits from doing good and away from making profits by causing harm. He argued that business can play a big part in solving these problems, but the legal enabling environment needs to be there. He made an important point around competition law to prevent anticompetitive behavior, which rubs up against the need for businesses to work together to solve sustainability issues. Ultimately, he said, it is a question of the approach that the authorities take, rather than what the law says itself. He demonstrated this with the example of the EU, which earlier this year stated that it will exercise all of its functions in a way that supports companies working together to transition to a low-carbon economy.

Mr. Coban warned of the danger of getting too wrapped up in our own bubbles and echo chambers, reminding us that right at the heart of this we are dealing with

athensdemocracyforum.com people, and our ultimate aim is to live in a more inclusive society that benefits more people. He stated that Covid has amplified the inequalities in our society, but it also represents an opportunity to redefine it. He also highlighted the trend among the younger demographic toward ethical consumption and using their purchasing power to align with brands that reflect their own values. Responding to this, Ms. Keller stated that we do not have time for the younger generation to wake up and take control. She agreed that a consciousness shift has been accelerated by Covid, and the system has to change. Ultimately, we are the system, she pleaded. Mr. Rhodes picked up on Mr. Coban’s point about what Covid has taught us about our ability to adapt. He reaffirmed that we have learned a great deal about the inequalities and fragilities in our world, but we have also learned about our capacity to act. Emphasizing stakeholders and the human element, he stated that, ultimately, we are all people. While the challenges are self-evident, he concluded, our ability to have a positive impact is clear, and real change can be driven.

5 athensdemocracyforum.com COUNCIL OF EUROPE AFFILIATED EVENT ON HUMAN RIGHTS, CLIMATE, MIGRATION

Introduction by Achilles Tsaltas, President, Athens Democracy Forum

Achilles Tsaltes stated that the word pandemic comes from the Greek word that literally means all the people. However, he warned, Covid-19 is not the only pandemic that is currently threatening the world and all its people, adding that climate change and migration shifts are also pandemics; afflictions that spread across the world and affect all people, everywhere.

He stated that, in periods of pandemics, the individual tends to acquire a lesser significance compared to the totality of society. He explained that individual rights and human rights tend to retreat in the face of often forced actions taking the name of collective will and the name of collective well-being. He stated that, in this framework, democracies must tread a fine line between authoritarian actions and human and individual dignity, adding that governments, institutions and people must work together to ensure that this fine line is not crossed.

Mr. Tsaltas described the partnership between the Athens Democracy Forum and the Council of Europe this year, which is designed to augment the role of human rights, and explore how climate change and migration – and now Covid – will be confronted. After outlining the Council of Europe affiliated events that will follow, he thanked Secretary General Pejinovi Buri for her attendance in person in Athens and for the support of the Council of Europe, stating his hopes for similar collaborations for many years to come, and that the solutions from this Forum will reverberate in Strasbourg and its Democracy forum in November. He added that it is serendipitous that the Athens Democracy Forum is taking place under the Greek chairmanship of the Council of Europe in such transformational times, adding that the spirit of ancient and contemporary Athens can help us to reimagine democracy.

7 COUNCIL OF EUROPE OPENING KEYNOTE ADDRESS THE CONSCIENCE OF EUROPE

Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary General, Council of Europe

Marija Pejčinović Burić stated that the pandemic must not stop us in our efforts to protect democracy and to promote our common values, as some of the risks we were already witnessing have been exacerbated by the virus and the way governments have responded.

She reminded delegates that 2020 is the 70th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights, declaring the founding of the Council of Europe in 1949 and the Convention a year later as a response to the horrors of the Second World War as one of Europe’s greatest achievements, but warned that we may be losing sight of this historic achievement and its continuing relevance today.

Ms. Pejčinović Burić highlighted the Council of Europe’s myriad achievements up to the end of the last millennium, including its enlargement following the fall of the Berlin Wall and more than 20,000 judgements implemented by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg and 223 legally binding conventions to improve people’s rights across the continent. She commented that Europe’s institutions were confident, forward-looking and largely undisputed during that period, but cautioned that we are seeing backtracking, as well as the resurgence of racism, intolerance and anti-Semitism. Warning that the cumulative effect of these dangerous trends is of great concern to the 47-state Council and threatens the foundations on which postwar Europe was built, she stated that we cannot take our freedoms for granted, adding that we must reinforce and reinvigorate them.

She commented that just as there is no single cause of the backlash, there is no simple fix like a tweet or naming and shaming. She reasserted her conviction in engaging and convincing, stating that sanctions should remain the exception as they go against the logic of dialogue and cooperation on which the organization is based.

Ms. Pejčinović Burić outlined the Council’s response to Covid-19 in terms of a range of initiatives to maintain the necessary balance between public-health and individual rights, Among broader strategic priorities, she stated that the Council also aims to

athensdemocracyforum.com strengthen the protection of vulnerable persons, step up efforts in the fight against anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim hate crimes, and has introduced a new instrument for the protection of human rights in relation to A.I. She stated that the Council will strengthen its support for civil society and maximize cooperation and complementarity with other organizations. In order to demonstrate that multilateralism matters, she said, we must show that it works.

Ms. Pejinovi Burić thanked the Greek presidency for steering the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers successfully through an intense agenda despite these abnormal times. Europe’s future depends fundamentally on the protection of democracy, she said. Without human rights, Europe would lose its heart and soul, she warned, underlining the need to protect the Convention like it protects us. The Convention is Europe’s compass, she said, ensuring that its members remain on course.

9 athensdemocracyforum.com COUNCIL OF EUROPE KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hellenic Republic

Miltiadis Varvitsiotis talked about the situation 2500 years ago with Pericles making his famous speech about democracy as the first people were dying of the plague, which led to do the defeat from Sparta and the demise of Athenian democracy. Any pandemic can impact the core values of our democracy and we have to think more about how to preserve our basic values, he urged. He stated that our basic human rights have been violated by our governments in the last few months, including freedom of movement, access to work, access to justice and access to journalism, and we have to find ways to overcome these problems. The solution, he said, is not to go back to totalitarianism, but to go forward with a more elaborated form of democracy.

He stated that, in Greece in particular, we also stand for other values that are the cornerstone of our basic system and architecture of security. Warning that democracy cannot survive in an unstable environment and human rights cannot be defended when the threat of war beats at the door, he stated that the defense of our security and stability is at the core of our system, and we want actors in the international system to refrain from actions that can cause instability related to migration and a violation of basic human rights.

Mr. Varvitsiotis noted that Greece has faced unprecedented pressure from Turkey in terms of the instrumentalization of refugees as a political tool to destabilize the country or through the use of military means to change the status quo. It is important in Europe to defend the borders drawn in the past, he said, because through observing these we can look at the future to build prosperity and security for our citizens.

Commenting on the chairmanship of the Council of Europe, he stated that, over the last six months, Greece has been obliged to find new ways to move forward in a very challenging time, with most events happening digitally, linking people from all over Europe. He outlined the desire to conclude the chairmanship with what will be called the Athens Declaration, which will address concerns around human rights, democracy and the rule of law that have emerged during the pandemic. He added that the declaration will reflect the chairmanship’s political legacy, providing basic guidelines and a legal framework to better equip future generations to ensure that public health and human life are prioritized over economic activity in the face of similar challenges.

11 athensdemocracyforum.com COUNCIL OF EUROPE PANEL DISCUSSION I MIGRATION AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Drahoslav Štefánek, Special Representative on Migration and Refugees, Council of Europe Chaker Khazaal, Author, Reporter and Speaker Sofia Kouvelaki, C.E.O., The Home Project Antigone Lyberaki, General Manager, SolidarityNow

Moderated by Alison Smale, Journalist and Former Under Secretary General for Global Communications, United Nations

Alison Smale introduced the topic of migration as one of the greatest challenges faced by European countries. Confirming that this topic is the very core of his mandate at the Council of Europe, Drahoslav tefánek lamented that we often forget that migrants are human beings entitled to enjoy their respective rights, and that behind every number is the destiny of a human being on a journey from a country of origin to a country of destination. He commented that human rights are to some extent political, and the issue of migration has been politicized throughout Europe, creating another layer for political discourse that is sometimes transformed into xenophobic, racist or hate speech discourses via social media. Reaffirming that he does not consider the situation a crisis, he said the challenge started in 2015 and 2016 when tens of thousands of migrants – not millions – were moving to Europe en masse. Migrants and refugees are easy to blame, he said, because they are voiceless; they have no one to support them and no state identity, which is where international organizations such as the Council of Europe step in to defend them. Highlighting the various action plans concerning vulnerable groups, particularly migrant and refugee women and children, he underlined the importance of education for the intercultural integration and inclusion of migrants and refugees. Referencing the E.U.’s new pact on migration launched in September, he stated that migration management can be human rights compliant and human rights friendly.

Outlining his journey as a Palestinian refugee born in Lebanon, Chaker Khazaal passionately affirmed that no one wants to be born a refugee, and described how he loved going to places where he was just a regular kid and not labeled as a refugee

13 child. He lamented that being born into or having to face any kind of displacement should soften some hearts around the world, but instead there is a rhetoric of fear and of not accepting ‘the other.’ Highlighting his personal experience, he wants to build a world that accepts refugees, stating that it was only when Canada accepted him that he was able to do something with his life. He outlined the negative sentiment around refugees, now numbering around 50 million people around the world, asking whether we might one day penalize those using the ‘R-word’ in the same way as we do for the N-word. Mentioning the plight of friends forced to leave Lebanon after the recent Beirut blast, he stated that we have to go back to the root of what is displacing people in order to tackle the refugee crisis, and underlined the media’s role in changing perceptions by highlighting positive examples of successful integration. He urged us to remember that our ancestors roamed from one place to another for security, emphasizing that the refugee DNA is in all of us. He stated that simple acts of inclusion can really make a difference to refugees in terms of giving them hope and making them feel a part of a community and society, as well as their desire to contribute to them.

Sofia Kouvelaki stated that there are 4,700 lone refugee children in Greece, of which 2,600 children remain outside of protection in detention camps. She outlined the Home Project’s mandate to include these children in an official system of protection, offering a holistic network of child protection services in 11 shelters for 220 children in Athens. Highlighting the ultimate aim as integration through education, she explained the importance of an individualized, institutionalized approach, insisting that we should talk about children, rather than refugee children, and highlighted the organization’s success over the past four years in supporting more than 520 children, many of whom are now active and productive citizens because they received support and necessary services.

Antigone Lyberaki stated that human rights do not stop at the gate, and they should be respected and upheld after reception during integration. She warned that the point of reception captures all the attention and triggers strong, often negative feelings, leaving little space for the crucial matter of how to live together and offer improved life chances. She stated that the battle for human rights can be fought and won only in the battle for human integration, highlighting that we drill holes in the biographies of refugees who are voiceless, and lack agency and any meaningful objectives while they wait in limbo for others to fight for their legal status. Describing SolidarityNow, which athensdemocracyforum.com has interacted with a quarter of a million refugees over the last six years, she stated that they hope to bring reception and integration together by giving refugees a purpose in their lives, highlighting the need to take local communities into account when trying to find solutions for refugees.

Ambassador tefánek stated that the Council of Europe introduced a new handbook on the reunification of families in July, and the word integration is replicated many times. He also highlighted the success of skills passports issued by the Council of Europe in helping refugees to get jobs or advance their education.

Ms. Kouvelaki underlined education for unaccompanied children, as they may have lost three to four years because of their journey and possibly the same again because of war, putting them at risk of becoming a lost generation. She described the Home Project’s strategy and network of partnerships, highlighting language support in the preparatory phase. When kids get the tools we need, she said, miracles can happen as kids develop their talents and create a future for themselves. Ms. Lyberaki stated that school enrolment for children in the 14 camps that SolidarityNow works with has been severely impacted by the virus, adding to another lost year of their lives. Education, she said, is the oxygen of life for these children, and they are currently being starved.

15 athensdemocracyforum.com COUNCIL OF EUROPE PANEL DISCUSSION II CLIMATE CHANGE, COVID-19 AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Aron Cramer, President and C.E.O., BSR Paul Polman, Co-Founder and Chair, IMAGINE Clover Hogan, Founder and Executive Director, Force of Nature

Moderated by Daniel Höltgen, Director of Communications and Spokesperson for the Secretary General, Council of Europe

Following her introduction by Daniel Höltgen as a global citizen, Clover Hogan explained that the climate crisis is a symptom of broken systems caused by capitalism and its focus on limitless growth using limitless resources entrenched in a centuries- long history of marginalized communities. She also described the commodification of nature, whereby we value a tree not for the ecosystem services or oxygen it provides, but for the table we can make from it or the palm oil that goes into our chocolate bars. She outlined her view that the pandemic was caused by this exploitation of nature, and it has revealed not just how broken these systems are, but also how ripe for disruption they are. She noted that, as we press pause, we have the opportunity to reflect on our hyper-consumptive, globalized lives, highlighting mind-set as one of the most underutilized but powerful tools in achieving this. Referring to heightened feelings of powerlessness in the face of these existential threats, she spoke of fear as a great motivator in times of crisis. She stated that fear in the context of an existential challenge like climate change or the pandemic breeds apathy and nihilism, but suggested that one of the most powerful things that we can do is begin to rewrite the stories about our world and our role in it, by turning anxiety into agency.

Referring to the presidential debate [on Sept. 29], Aron Cramer stated that the democratic norms and values in the United States are undergoing an existential test, which is something that Europeans know too well from the tragic history of the 20th century. Neither democracy nor business can thrive in a place where democracy recedes, he warned, stating that businesses have a role in creating 21st-century social contracts to reinforce democratic principles and also take on 21st-century challenges, including how we transition to net-zero economy in a way that does not

17 leave vulnerable, marginalized communities. He added that we also have to think about the opportunities and threats presented by technology while also ensuring human rights are protected.

Paul Polman commented that most of our global institutions were created 70 years ago at the time of Bretton Woods, stating that global governance has not evolved, but issues like the interdependence of financial markets, cybersecurity, climate change, and now also the pandemic know no borders and need a global response. He highlighted the lack of cooperation between national governments as a particular concern, as well as our failure to address these issues in our economic process, making people turn to the polls to express their dissatisfaction. This has resulted in nationalism and populism, which, he cautioned, are not conducive to solving global problems. He stated that global companies continually adjust their strategies, commenting that businesses adopting a more responsible approach through ESG, multistakeholder, longer-term business models are, unsurprisingly, doing better during the Covid crisis. Reiterating Ms. Hogan’s point, he stated that we cannot expect the changes we need if we keep operating in a system that is not designed to deliver them. Suggesting the need to move to a system that prioritizes financial capital to one that also measures environmental and social capital, he said we need to forge broader cooperation, as nobody can do this alone. We missed the boat in the financial crisis, he said, but we don’t want to miss the boat again. He warned that we are at a crucial moment now, but we are missing the human willpower to act collectively to confront these issues.

Ms. Hogan highlighted the failure in the climate and environmental space to move away from polar bears and solar panels to delivering equitable and fair social contracts, proposing that we need to get better at shifting conversations from closed-door rooms to involve the very people who are experiencing the impacts on the front lines. She emphasized the potential gains to be seized when the energy of young people is combined with the knowledge of experience. Mr. Polman reinforced this point, stating that a system that excludes too many people ultimately rebels against itself. Referring to the status quo as small islands of prosperity in the oceans of poverty, he stated that the younger generation has a special role to play as they are bearing the biggest brunt of this crisis. He suggested that rather than giving the young a seat at the table, we should, in fact, give them the table.

athensdemocracyforum.com VIRTUAL PANEL DISCUSSION COVERING THE U.S. ELECTIONS

Serge Schmemann, Member of Editorial Board, The New York Times David Sanger, National Security Correspondent, The New York Times

Referring to the lack of decorum during the Sept. 29 presidential debate, Daniel Sanger talked about President Trump’s refusal to accept the outcome of the election unless he wins and focus on the threat of fraud presented by mail-in ballots. He raised his concerns that the president’s stance might actually become a signal to the Russians, among others, who have been amplifying his message in their own disinformation in relation to throwing the election into chaos, warning that the president himself may be signaling to Putin that anything Russia does would only prove the point, enabling Trump to go to the Supreme Court or Congress, where he believes that he has got an edge.

Serge Schmemann stated that the choice between the two candidates is stark, and summarized the problem of covering the election, and indeed Trump over the last four years, in that he is a man who cannot allow the narrative to get out of his control. He described how Trump has declared the press the enemy and sent over 2,000 tweets attacking “the failing New York Times,” stating that this poses a problem in the social media age, where the debate is less polite and a lot more exaggeration is acceptable. He described how, as veterans of a different kind of press, we are under pressure to act as the enemy that he wants us to be, instead of covering stories with fairness and decency. He asked how The New York Times covers a display like this, which is so riddled with exaggeration and lies, and so below the level of decency of what is acceptable in politics. Not taking sides is a huge challenge for us, he said.

Mr. Sanger agreed, stating that the challenge of covering Trump is exacerbated by his line that the press is out to get him. He said that Abraham Lincoln did not like the coverage he got, but he did not call the press enemies of the people. He likened Trump’s hostility for the press to what we see for Dr. Fauci and others who disagree with his views about the pandemic. On whether things can go back if Joe Biden gets elected, Mr. Sanger stated his reluctance to believe that you can really “go home again” in international affairs. He described the myriad changes that have taken

19 place all over the world since 2017, particularly an emboldened China, Russia and Turkey, and cautioned that Donald Trump is the product of a divided nation, and those divisions will remain so it is likely that his supporters will go after his successor.

Mr. Schmemann warned of the danger in treating Trump as simply a symptom of this new world and a divided America, as he has also played a role in deepening those divisions. Giving examples ranging from the way he refuses to condemn white supremacists and how he plays to racism to the way he demonizes the press and tries to use the military and diplomacy for his personal gain, Mr. Schmemann stated that, in his view, Trump is genuinely dangerous. He is not the sole cause of the problem, he affirmed, and his departure will not fix it, but he is something of a danger, especially if he does not win the election and tries to remain in power. We do face a constitutional danger a month from now, he cautioned.

Mr. Sanger agreed that the period between the election and the inauguration could be the most tumultuous and potentially the most dangerous in the American democratic experiment. Highlighting that more of Trump’s supporters will vote in person because they believe less in the danger of coronavirus than the threat of fraud from mail ballots, he confirmed that the first votes announced will likely go in Trump’s favor, and he will want to seize on that to declare victory before the mail ballots are counted, which may be overwhelmingly in favor of Biden. The divergences between states around when mail ballots can be counted serve to further exacerbate this situation in terms of disparate results and timelines. He then described the strategy that Trump may take if he thinks he is losing. By declaring the election a fraud and creating enough confusion, he said, Trump could attempt to go to the Supreme Court or Congress, where there are 26 congressional delegations that are dominated by the Republicans, enabling him to potentially throw the vote.

Referring to the president’s claims that he is a victim and that the postal system is one of the many institutions that wants to bury him, Mr. Schmemann highlighted his responsibility as president in bolstering and supporting the system. Turning back to the media being perceived as the enemy, he stated that we have stick to reporting within the framework of ethics, fairness, accuracy and traditions of what the American press has been. We should not be seen to be actively campaigning, but with this particular administration it has been very hard to remain fair or balanced, he lamented.

athensdemocracyforum.com Mr. Sanger stated that we do not want the world of the early days of the Republic when the news was linked to Jefferson or anti-Jefferson forces. But if you look at the media writ large, he said, this is exactly what has happened, with Fox News on the right and MSNBC on the left as the anti-Fox. Citing The Times’s controversial decision to publish an Op-Ed by Senator Tom Cotton promoting the use of the military to put down protests, he declared that there has been a generational shift. He stated his conviction that it is possible but not easy to reveal the president’s untruths, while staying within the traditional norms.

Mr. Schmemann affirmed his belief that readers can and should be trusted to understand why certain things are published and also to learn about opposing views, although he admits that maybe that has diminished somewhat. He said that the debate made him realize that, for him personally, this election is about decency. He said that apart from what Trump stands for, which Mr. Schmemann outlined in terms of opportunism and being in the limelight, as well as Trump’s disregard for people and his pride in not paying taxes, the part that we really need to get rid of is his disdain for elemental political decency. He outlined the election as one of these decisive moments in American and global history. Mr. Sanger reiterated that what America does affects the rest of the world, warning that just because it is our election, it is about more than just us.

21 OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE ATHENS DEMOCRACY FORUM

Introduction by Achilles Tsaltas, President, Athens Democracy Forum

Achilles Tsaltas welcomed delegates around the world to the official opening of the 2020 Athens Democracy Forum, introducing the key theme of the event, The New Abnormal: Reimagining Democracy. Highlighting the importance of the Greek word for pandemic, meaning all of the people, he stated that the whole of humanity is being tested – by inequality, climate change, fake news, migration shifts and populism – to find better ways to govern ourselves and safeguard our planet.

He introduced the President of the Hellenic Republic, speaking from the Presidential Palace in Athens.

Opening Remarks by H.E. The President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou

President Sakellaropoulou marked the opening of this year’s virtual event, stating that the new format of the Athens Democracy Forum represents a new abnormal in itself. Quoting Martin Luther King, she reminded us that although the pandemic inevitably keeps us apart, “we are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.”

She warned that this year’s Forum alerts us to the reality that democracy is not our inescapable destiny, as it is being threatened, undermined and assaulted by a diverse array of enemies and foes around the world. Highlighting Athens as the birthplace of democracy, where administration was placed in the hands of the many and not in the few, she spoke of the funeral oration of Pericles and the polity built on the fundamental principle that the right to rule lies with the people. Drawing on Aristotle, she stated that people’s rights and people’s participation are inextricably connected, and “if liberty and equality are to be found in democracy, they will best be attained when all persons alike share in government.” She stated that our contemporary liberal democracies have advanced and evolved over the centuries by heeding the lessons of totalitarianism, genocide and two world wars. Affirming the incorporation of the expanded rights of inclusiveness and inequality as a result of the civil rights, gay rights and women’s movements, she added that the environmental movement expanded the rights to future generations, leading to the historical Paris agreement athensdemocracyforum.com and seminal initiatives such as the European Green Deal. She said that the struggle for equal rights continues, and in the words of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, “real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.”

Commenting that history does not move in a straight line, and change is not always synonymous with progress, she highlighted the threats to democracy in terms of the rise of nationalist leaders, autocrats and strongmen, as well as fake news, conspiracy theories and lies. She added that civil apathy and declining participation also undermine democracy, alongside extreme inequalities and poverty.

She stated that this year’s Athens Democracy Forum invites is to reimagine democracy once again as an eternally liberating project of people, driven by the reason of humanity and science. Quoting Albert Camus, she said, “freedom is nothing else but a chance to be better,” but cautioned that democracy and freedom come with the price of eternal vigilance. She concluded by highlighting the achievements of the European Union over the last 70 years in ensuring peace, prosperity, unity and diversity.

23 GLOBAL INSTITUTIONS WHAT PURPOSE IN THE MODERN WORLD?

Keynote by Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director, Center for Sustainable Development, Columbia University

Jeffrey Sachs opened with a slew of reasons outlining why he hopes that President Trump will no longer be in office after the elections on November 3. Lamenting that the United States is no longer a paragon of democratic virtue, he stated that the goal of politics according to the great Athenian philosophers Plato and Aristotle was the well-being of citizens, prompting him to ask, what constitutes well-being in the 21st century?

First, he suggested that environmental safety is paramount, but cautioned that we no longer have this because we are in the midst of a range of environmental disasters, including Covid-19, climate change, destruction of biodiversity and massive pollution. The second essential dimension he suggested is a society that functions as a society, requiring social equality, social inclusion and social trust. The third element he suggested is prosperity enabled by technology, which allows a lot of the world economy to function digitally. Quoting President John F. Kennedy in his inaugural address in January 1961, Mr. Sachs proposed a fourth component, peace: “For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life.”

Mr. Sachs emphasized that we need all of four of these dimensions of our life to work for our well-being, cautioning that not one of them can be achieved without international cooperation. Describing our environment as the product of all nations, he highlighted the need for a global agreement to stop human-induced climate change and lambasted Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement. He also underlined the need for global cooperation and the World Health Organization to stop pandemics, blaming the disinformation delivered by the Trump administration for the exceptionally high number of Covid fatalities in the United States. Referencing the recent publication of Trump’s tax returns by The New York Times, he stated that we need global rules to avoid tax evasion. Condemning Trump’s attempts to cripple the World Trade Organization, he stated that we also need global rules around trade. Likewise, he slammed Trump’s refusal to deal with China on technology and the administration’s

athensdemocracyforum.com current preoccupation with TikTok and Huawei. Describing China as technologically sophisticated, he insisted that we need to have global rules of the road concerning privacy, data management and surveillance. And if we want peace, he said, we need the U.N. framework.

Expressing disappointment that we find ourselves in profound crisis 75 years after its creation, Mr. Sachs stated that we need a change of direction. He reinforced his fervent desire for a Biden victory in the forthcoming election with the accompanying hope that U.S. support for multilateral institutions can be re-established to bring nations together as best the U.S. can – not as leader, but as partner and cooperator with the rest of the world. He stated that the U.S. needs to rejoin the Paris agreement, saying it is notable that Europe has adopted the European Green Deal and that President Xi Jinping recently announced China’s commitment to becoming a carbon-neutral economy by 2060. He outlined his conviction in the need to bolster the international financial system in order to provide funding to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. We need new rules governing digital cooperation and universal access to digital technologies in the context of human rights, he said.

Mr. Sachs admitted that, after 75 years, reforms are needed within all of our key international institutions. He stated, however, that the United States needs to learn how to listen again, rather than wielding power from a unilateral position. He reiterated his belief that global institutions have a central position in our modern world, as these are the institutions that can ensure our survival and promote our well-being.

25 THE CITY OF ATHENS DEMOCRACY AWARD

Presented by Kostas Bakoyannis, Mayor of Athens, Hellenic Republic to Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Former President of Brazil

Addressing President Cardoso, Kostas Bakoyannis expressed his honor in presenting him with the City of Athens Democracy Award, hailing him a champion and a defender of democracy. Mayor Bakoyannis described the president’s early life as a leader of the resistance to authoritarian rule in Brazil, before being sent into exile by the military dictatorship and working tirelessly for the restoration of freedom, justice and equality, and helping to restore democracy and ensure its success. As a lifelong servant of Brazil and an internationally esteemed sociologist, the president has been a leading figure for the fight for democracy in Latin America and beyond, the mayor said, adding that as a diplomat and a scholar, his work has inspired generations of thinkers and radicals to become engaged citizens.

Commenting on the president’s powerful defense of human rights, Mayor Bakoyannis highlighted the importance of his voice for inclusive politics, societies and economies, and his pivotal role in making it possible for all Brazilians to have an education. He commended the president’s leadership style and ability to cross social divisions, as well as his exemplary commitment to the rule of law, respect for democratic principles and defense of the disadvantaged.

Alluding to President Cardoso’s myriad honors and awards, the mayor said that tonight, his commitment to democracy in theory and in practice is recognized by Athens, where history teaches us that democracy is often an ideal fruit that requires everybody’s effort in order to become real and to thrive. Highlighting the importance of respect for not only our own freedom but also for the freedom of others, he extolled the democratic ethos that has marked the president’s whole life and serves as an example for all of us.

President Cardoso thanked Mayor Bakoyannis and extended his gratitude for the honor of receiving the Athens Democracy Award. Outlining democracy as the great cause of his generation, he compared freedom with the air we breathe, insofar as we all realize how precious it is only when it is taken from us. Describing the

athensdemocracyforum.com situation in Latin America, he said we fought long and hard to make the transition from dictatorship to liberal democracy, but questioned the extent to which democracy was the inevitable future throughout the world after the fall of the Berlin Wall, warning that the future is never ours to see, as evidenced when the anticipated “end of history” failed to materialize.

Commenting that nobody foresaw that democracy would today be in crisis in Europe and the Americas – precisely where it was most strongly embedded in society and culture – he stated that democracy is being undermined by regressive authoritarian rule and national governments are seen as incapable of protecting their citizens. He added that technological innovations, especially in bioscience and information, are changing politics, economics and culture. He warned that in times of social dislocation and fear for the future, many look back to an idealized past made of national grandeur, simplicity, order and authority, while demagogues play on the most destructive human emotions such as fear, hate and intolerance and political adversaries and minority groups are branded as enemies of God, nation and family values.

We are living in truly uncertain times and the moment is fraught with risk, he said, but yet not all is bleak. He stated that as a democrat and a humanist, his eight years as president of Brazil showed him that while political power comes from the top, trust comes from the people. We stand at a crossroads, he said, and in a passionate call to action, he stated we must all stand together and act together in defense of democracy, with truth, knowledge, independent institutions and citizen action providing the best antidotes to political regression. Democracy is always a work in progress, he said.

President Cardoso expressed his hope that, although he will be 90 years old next year, he will have enough energy to continue to be a fighter for democracy.

27 PANEL DISCUSSION THE STRONG AND THE WEAK

Andreas Bummel, Executive Director, Democracy without Borders Elhadj As Sy, Chair of the Board, Kofi Annan Foundation Alison Smale, Journalist and Former Under Secretary General for Global Communications, United Nations

Moderated by Steven Erlanger, Chief Diplomatic Correspondent, Europe, The New York Times

Steven Erlanger opened the panel by asking whether we misunderstood what happened in 1989. Alison Smale, describing her experience in Berlin in 1989 accompanying the first East Germans to cross at Checkpoint Charlie, stated that while she will never think about the fall of the wall as a mistake, it serves as a reminder that democracy is something that takes a lot of work. Referring to the previous evening’s presidential debate, she commented that this is a contest of strength and weakness of certain kinds, adding that if there is a strong commitment to togetherness, we must make sure we are there to help the weakest people. Andreas Bummel expressed his view that 1989 symbolized a victory for freedom and emancipatory values. He stated that there are strong protests against authoritarianism around the world and agreed with Ms. Smale’s point that the strong must embrace the weak in a healthy society and on the global scale as well. Describing 1989 as a lost opportunity because democracy was not reimagined, he stated that this is something that we need to do now as problems are becoming more virulent and urgent, adding that we also need to reimagine the scale at which democracy operates, because global problems require a global scale. Elhadj As Sy outlined his belief that democracy is not about the system or the ideology, nor is it about the West and the East or the North and the South. For him, democracy is about people; their lives, their well- being and their aspirations. He said that all human beings aspire to the common element of human dignity, adding that if democracy can deliver and become a safe space where people’s voices count, then it will become a universal ideal to which everybody aspires. He highlighted that the United Nations’ founding Charter, is not framed in terms of “we the governments” or “we the states,” but “we the peoples.”

athensdemocracyforum.com 29 Ms. Smale stated that democracy is a living process, and you have to work at it, warning that there are signs in the United States and the United Kingdom – although not exclusively in these two countries – that people in power will prevail by force rather than by debate. Mr. Bummel stated that people are not dissatisfied with democracy as a principle of government, but with the performance of democratic governments. He outlined the growing recognition that global collaboration is necessary, but also not enough, adding that next steps are crucial for international organizations to deliver. He expressed his view that what is needed is more participation and better representation at the global scale, giving “we the peoples” a voice at the U.N. Mr. As Sy stated that there is a paradox because, with the rise of globalization in the ‘90s, there should have been an increase in democracy worldwide, but added that what really matters in this global world from a democratic perspective is the importance of leadership; leadership that cares and that delivers. The continuation of inequities and disparities reflects a failure in terms of what is being delivered for the people, he said.

Responding to Mr Erlanger’s point about illiberal or authoritarian democracies, specifically the economic benefits that the Communist Party has brought to the weak in China, Mr. Bummel extolled the virtue of millions of people being lifted out of extreme poverty, but highlighted the concentration camps in Xinjiang in violation of international law. He put forward his view that China is in fact a brutal dictatorship, emphasizing that 1989 was not only the year of the fall of the Berlin Wall, but also Tiananmen Square.

Ms. Smale stated that that what we saw in Eastern Europe was viewed as a liberation, but expressed her view that rather than the death of history, it was the birth of history. On the proclivity among Western politicians to wax eloquent about 75 years of peace in Europe, she highlighted the open wound that was Yugoslavia, which led to war and the siege of Sarajevo. She agreed that togetherness and a sense of liberation are needed for democracy to work, but reasserted the need to work at it all the time.

Turning the discussion to Trump’s focus on American interests and his administration’s shift away from multilateralism, Mr. As Sy stated that a country is more than its leadership; it is also its institutions, private sector, thinkers and philosophers. He asserted that the withdrawal into national boundaries should never be to the detriment of the common good and values, adding that we are crying for that leadership right now.

athensdemocracyforum.com Mr. Erlanger put forward his view that “nationalist” has become a sort of slur word. Mr. Bummel stated that if an inclusive nationalism embraces diversity and multiculturaliam, then it is very healthy and can bring people together and foster solidarity across boundaries. He warned, however, that what we are seeing is a form of majority nationalism, which is not constructive. He confirmed that there are many layers of national identity, as well as increasing recognition of a global identity and global citizens.

On the late Kofi Annan’s proposal to restructure of the United Nations to protect all of humanity better for all crises, Mr. As Sy stated that some progress has been made but not enough, stating that we hide behind nationalism, but the global crises we face today mean that no citizen is safe until we all are, and underscoring the need to stop hiding behind the slogans of nationalism in order to promote solidarity, partnership, care and support. Mr Bummel stated that the idea of a global parliament has been around for a long time, and counted Václav Havel among its supporters. He insisted that we the people, including minorities, should have a voice at all levels, and this also applies at the global level.

31 athensdemocracyforum.com WELCOME REMARKS

Achilles Tsaltas, President, Athens Democracy Forum

Describing the “Isolation Waltz” composed and performed by 8-year-old pianist Stelios Kerasidis as a beautiful and inspiring way to start the day’s proceedings, Achilles Tsaltas suggested that some of us may consider that it is not normal to hear such an eloquent piece from such a young composer, highlighting that this demonstrates the power of reimagination. He stated that at a time when many of us who are older and wiser are in despair about the lockdowns and hardships, it is an 8-year-old who guides us on how to be strong, and how to reimagine our lives in isolation. Inviting delegates to consider a comparison with the Athens Democracy Forum, which is also 8 years old, he outlined its task this year as that of reimagining how to move forward in this world, as we face the most significant challenges in generations. He urged delegates to use this lovely “Isolation Waltz” to reimagine how democracy is to confront the new abnormal.

Speaking from the roof of the Hotel Grande Bretagne, Mr. Tsaltas once again welcomed delegates to the Athens Democracy Forum and to this urgent challenge, which is most immediately evident in the way that the pandemic has forced us to reset the way we meet and deliberate. He pointed out that, here in Athens, the words democracy and pandemic come from the Greek words demokratia and pandemos, which have at their heart the same root, demos, meaning the people. He explained that a pandemic is something that afflicts all people, which today not only means coronavirus, but also includes inequality, climate change, migration, the spread of authoritarianism, fake news and intolerance. This is the new normal, he affirmed, for which the solution must lie in democracy; the rule of the people and the rule of law. He expressed his hope that the Covid-19 pandemic will prove to be a catalyst for turning this new abnormal into a better and safer world.

Highlighting the twin goals of the Forum’s parent organization, the Democracy & Culture Foundation, in terms of better governance and citizen engagement, Mr. Tsaltas announced that a stellar and diverse chorus of speakers is convening here in Athens, in person or virtually, to address these issues from different, sometimes contrarian, perspectives to arm our guests and the Foundation with ideas on which

33 to concretely engage the myriad pandemics we currently face. He stated that we are here to think, to talk, and, importantly, to do, explaining that the Forum and the Foundation are now inviting strategic partners to help in this mission. By the end of this week, he confirmed, we will have gathered enough solutions, suggestions and projects to turn into action, to come back to you at the same time next year and let you know what we have achieved, in the hope that our world will be all the better for it; the new normal will start to emerge out of this abnormal.

In what has been a very tricky time for putting a conference together, Mr. Tsaltas praised the hard work of our team and the support of our sponsors in making this year’s Forum possible, as well as creative and fun. He thanked all sponsors and partners, reinforcing that the Forum is very fortunate to have great supporters who believe in its mission.

Mr. Tsaltas mentioned that the highlights of this year’s event will be published in a Special Report in The New York Times International Edition on October 10. He explained that this year’s program, curated astutely by our editors Kim Conniff Taber and The Times’s Serge Schmemann, picks up on the various pandemics outlined from the vantage point of how democracies and different systems of government can address these crises and bounce back healthier and stronger. We do not want to simply defend democracy, he affirmed, but rather promote new models to help democracy evolve, adding that the evolution of democracy is what the Forum and its organizers care most about. He invited delegates to join our partners, colleagues, and fellow virtual delegates in making this a productive and consequential Forum, and encouraged everyone to engage on social media.

athensdemocracyforum.com OPENING PROVOCATION THE AGE OF CITIZENS

Jon Alexander, Co-Founder, New Citizenship Project

Standing in front of St Mary’s Church in London, Jon Alexander described the Putney Debates that took place here during the chaos of the English Civil War in 1647. He quoted Colonel Thomas Rainsborough’s radical proposal:

I think that the poorest he that is in England hath a life to live as the greatest he; and therefore truly. Sir, I think it is clear that every man that is to live under a government ought first by his own consent to put himself under that government.

Introducing the first of his three provocations, Mr. Alexander urged us to start with hope by highlighting the wave of democratic innovation that is breaking over the world in a positive way, which he believes we can build on in order to achieve something really special. He put forward the example of the Irish referendum, in which 66% of the population voted in favor of legalizing access to abortion. Describing how legislation was developed through a citizens’ assembly comprising 99 people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives coming together to debate and reach a consensus, he underlined the power of this approach in giving people a meaningful say and meaningful power in democracy, as well as the ability to use that power successfully and the incentive to use it responsibly. He gave a further example in terms of the 526 American citizens who came together in a hotel in Dallas last year to debate a range of issues affecting America, finding respect for one another and a huge amount of common ground. He added that in the German-speaking part of the Belgium, the upper house of Parliament has been replaced by a citizens’ assembly comprising a representative sample of the general population. He stated that these deliberative methods are only one part of the participatory wave that is breaking and there are myriad other examples. Citing futurist William Gibson who said “the future is already here, it is just not very evenly distributed,” he added that the same applies to the future of democracy.

Mr. Alexander framed his second provocation in terms of “think citizen not consumer,” and described an experiment where participants imagine that they are one of four

35 households dependent upon a well that is starting to run dry for their water supply. He stated that the findings suggested that respondents were significantly less likely to use less water and trust others to do the same when the word “household” is replaced by “consumer.” Speaking about his early career in the advertising industry, he said that the average person sees 3,000 commercial messages per day, all of which drive the same underlying message that we are consumers, conditioning a response which is less willing to compromise and less trusting. Extending this to the broader population and democracy, he argued that voting today has become framed as an act of self-interest, almost like consumption, warning that this goes against the original wisdom of the crowds principle, whereby we judge what is best for society as a whole and use our vote to express that. He stated that we are conditioning ourselves not to trust people and described Taiwan’s successful response to Covid – as a government and citizens working together as a team – to underline the power of trusting people and treating them as citizens, not just as consumers in unlocking and enabling more possibilities, and ultimately, a brighter future.

Outlining his third provocation, to be the change, Mr. Alexander used the example of the Scottish craft beer company BrewDog. Established in 2007 with a mission to make everyone as passionate about craft beer as its founders, he outlined the company’s unique business and funding model, effectively inventing crowd equity in 2009. He stated that it has raised £75 million in five crowd equity rounds through the 145,000 members of its Equity for Punks’ community, who share ideas and come together in an Annual General Mayhem to make shareholder decisions around salary caps, recycling initiatives linked to share giveaways, and much more. He highlighted that the shift from consumer to citizen and giving more power to more people is not a spectator sport, arguing that being the change is not reserved only for those working directly in politics, but rather something that every organization can be a part of. He insisted that culture can lead politics and we can do really well along the way, and urged delegates to look at their own positions in their own organizations to examine how we can open up our privileged world by inviting more people into it to move forward, ending with a quote from writer Paul Mason: “If you don’t want the future, what you’ll get is the past.”

athensdemocracyforum.com PANEL DISCUSSION DEMOCRACY IN A TIME OF CRISIS

Dubravka Šuica, Vice President, European Commission, Democracy and Demography Kevin Casas-Zamora, Secretary General of International IDEA Hind Ziane, Founder and C.E.O., Génération Politique Kishore Mahbubani, Distinguished Fellow, Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore

Moderated by Nathan Gardels, Co-Founder and Senior Advisor, Berggruen Institute

Referring to the previous evening’s presidential debate, Nathan Gardels stated that there can be no doubt that Western democracies are in various states of implosion due to myriad crises in recent years, the cumulative impact of which has been to break the mold of politics. He stated that there is no going back, framing the alternative directions in terms of the drift toward authoritarianism or mending the breach of distrust by engaging citizens in governance.

Dubravka uica expressed her view that Covid-19 has shown us the importance of unity and solidarity in difficult times, stating that the E.U. blazes a trail when it comes to deepening democratic values, which go hand in hand with human rights and the rule of law. She outlined her role in terms of deepening citizen engagement and participation at all levels of policy making, arguing that it is only through direct engagement, deliberation and learning through demographic change that we can successfully and constructively confront the green and technological transitions, two of the E.U.’s highest priorities. Expressing her view that when people feel left behind they blame democracy itself, she stated her conviction that democracy is still the best option, but we have to improve how we respond to citizens’ needs, as they are the E.U.’s stakeholders. She emphasized that, at the European level, people often feel more distant and less understood, citing the Conference on the Future of Europe as a sign of new thinking. Using a mixture of physical, online and hybrid events, including a multilingual digital platform, the Conference aims to create a space for debate and deliberation to learn about the issues close to the hearts of Europeans, in particular youth, in order to inform policy making and contribute to making our democracy more responsive. Hailing the initiative as an opportunity to engage, she warned that it will only be successful if citizens of all walks of life and communities participate.

37 Hind Ziane stated that the crisis is forcing us to acknowledge that our democracies are not equipped to face this type of huge cataclysmic event, emphasizing that this is a golden opportunity for us as a political system to move forward and to change. She believes that the legitimacy of our democratic system is based on trust, highlighting the need to restore the human relationship between citizens and politicians all over the world. As a mechanism for restoring trust, she suggested that political institutions need a blueprint and team dedicated to the microlevel – not countries or even cities, but neighborhoods, streets, or even buildings – to get people together and integrate them in the governing process. She affirmed her view that by adopting a hands-on approach and collecting live, on-the-ground feedback from citizens, elected officials would be able to engage and work with citizens to deliver relevant, concrete solutions to the problems they face.

Kevin Casas-Zamora pointed out that the global advance of democracy over the past half-century coincided with the ability of societies to dramatically reduce some of the most acute sources of human anxiety, including violence, poverty and disease, adding that democracy’s odds of survival increase when it is able to lower uncertainty with a robust welfare state, solid rule of law and sustained fiscal prudence. Quoting the words of Samuel Huntington, who said that it is “not the type of government but the degree of government” a country has to use its institutions effectively, he insisted that there is little value in viewing the response to the pandemic as a contest between democracies and authoritarian states. He compared high-capacity authoritarian or

athensdemocracyforum.com hybrid states like China and Singapore with low-capacity democracies throughout Latin America, adding that the political cleavage counts in prioritizing the measures that equip political institutions to become more effective at providing goods and services to manage uncertainty and deal with crises. He stated that the pandemic has been unforgiving in revealing the deep fault lines in societies, suggesting that many democracies will have to return to the drawing board to renegotiate the social contract in a bid to fend off the dangers of populism and authoritarianism. He explained that, in Latin America, most people do not have the luxury of working from home and, despite some of the longest and most draconian national lockdowns in the world, the region’s economies have been brought to their knees while the virus is running rampant. Turning to Brazil and Mexico, he noted that both presidents played down the public health aspect of the crisis and played up the economic aspect, adding that neither López Obrador nor Bolsonaro imposed national lockdowns.

Kishore Mahbubani affirmed his view that democracy came to East Asia through the American model, highlighting the remarkable transformations in South Korea, Taiwan and Indonesia, all of which were guided by the gold standard of democracy provided by the United States. He sees the biggest threat to democracy in East Asia as the reality that this gold standard is now badly corroded. Emphasizing that the U.S. used to be a high-functioning state, he pointed out that it now has the attributes of a failed state, including reduced life expectancy, high infant mortality and myriad other indications of regression in social progress indices. He made the point that something is fundamentally going wrong, highlighting that the United States has gone from being a democracy to a plutocracy based around wealth; it is no longer a government for the people, but a government of the one percent for the one percent. He outlined his concerns about what East Asians take away when people talk about the improvements in living standards in China and the comparative slide in the U.S. He suggested three principal lessons that East Asians have to learn to ensure that democracies remain strong in the region in terms of controlling the amount of money that goes into elections, maintaining a balance between the invisible hand of the free market and the visible hand of good governance, and building state capacity rather than blindly respecting government. Quoting Ronald Reagan’s famous words, “government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem,” he said that in East Asia, the reverse perception is true. He concluded with a call to action in terms of going back to basics, killing plutocracy, and building better governments.

39 CONVERSATION BEYOND “BIG BAD TECH”: A SEARCH FOR SOLUTIONS

Azeem Azhar, Founder, Exponential View With David Sanger, National Security Correspondent, The New York Times

David Sanger opened proceedings by highlighting the love-hate relationship between Europe and the U.S. and the big tech companies, stating that we can no longer live without them, yet both are now struggling on a number of fronts, including hate speech and election misinformation, privacy, and antitrust issues. Azeem Azhar stated that 10 or 15 years ago, not many of us would have imagined how important technology companies would become. Describing how aspects of the world that were physical have become digital, he stated that we rely on the platforms provided by FMAAG, as well as firms that have narrower functions in supporting the system to access them. He explained that as the big tech companies have grown, they have started to fulfill a role within the public infrastructure that previously existed in the physical analog world. He warned that this has given them a great deal of power around which there has never been a clear chain of democratic accountability or a system of checks and balances on how that power is exerted. He added that the employee walkouts we are seeing can adjust the policies of big tech companies in ways that other forms of action may not, raising the question of what kind of accountability we expect from these companies, given their increasing operation in the public space.

Making the comparison with blackouts by public utilities, Mr. Sanger described a recent outage of Microsoft’s Azure and Office 365 to highlight our dependence on these services. On the employee walkout side, he said that the main walkout by Google employees, aside from sexual harassment claims, was about a U.S. defense department program to help improve the targeting accuracy of drones using artificial intelligence techniques. Mr. Azhar stated that these draw attention to the inadequacies and inconsistencies inherent in the systems. Referencing Mr. Sanger’s book, “The Perfect Weapon,” and its discussion of a digital Geneva Convention, whereby tech giants would agree not to use their technology as weapons of war, Mr. Azhar commended Microsoft’s leadership on this initiative, but warned that it is dependent upon the goodwill and good nature of senior executives. Adding that the

athensdemocracyforum.com success or failure of such an endeavor would ultimately be determined by individual fiat, he emphasized that we spent hundreds of years moving away from this type of political system. He framed the current debate in terms of how we can build on these little signals to incorporate some kind of governance system that establishes accountability.

Mr. Sanger affirmed that he finds the concept of a digital Geneva Convention fascinating, because it represents a mechanism whereby companies can exert pressure on governments at a time when so much of the debate is about how governments should push companies. He described the idea as a code of conduct about vulnerabilities and how we use (and do not use) cyber weapons, adding that one of the underlying aims of this would be to place elections off limits. He emphasized that the aim of the original Geneva Conventions was to protect defenseless civilians during times of war, adding that, where the digital equivalent is being pushed by tech companies, the real Geneva Conventions were formulated not by governments but by the Red Cross. He outlined his view that if the companies themselves take action, then governments may be forced along. Describing a similar initiative around digital behavior issued by President Macron on the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, he commented that the two major democracies that did not sign on were the United States and India.

Mr. Azhar stated that, by having these mini-lateral agreements between forward- looking companies, we can create enough of a head of steam to bring policy makers to the table, get a few nations to sign up and create the momentum for a framework. Mr. Sanger cautioned that any framework that does not start with the United States and China – the two countries that operate the most global technical infrastructure – would potentially be worthless, adding the need to include Russia, not as a significant tech force but as a disruptor. Highlighting the divergences between what people believe the internet is actually for in terms of connecting people and sharing knowledge to enhance freedom, he stated that Russia and China have said that to stop malicious activity on the internet, the starting point is securing perfect identity, which can be dangerous because it would enable these countries to control dissent and wage punishment.

Mr. Azhar outlined the vicious cycle of social media platforms using improved

41 algorithms to show users more material that they will find interesting in order to get them to spend more time on their sites. He emphasized that content generating shock, disgust or extreme emotion that gets us to continue to pay attention is also the most prurient and divisive, stating that Facebook and YouTube have recognized this has been an issue historically and changed the way they rank their content. Despite these changes, there has been a rapid growth in conspiracy theories connecting us with the worst demons rather than the better angels of our nature. He also alluded to the concept that birds of a feather flock together, emphasizing that many technologies historically have made it easier for us to mix with people who are more like ourselves and that function is starting to emerge across social networks, generating a lack of diversity in the material that people tend to see. He added that there is an argument for running algorithms that push content to the median, bringing the extreme edges closer to the middle, as is the case in China.

Highlighting the differences across communities and the lack of enforcement of community rules, Mr. Sanger gave the example that appeared in a recent article in The New York Times about an American hotel guest potentially facing two years in jail in Thailand after leaving a negative review about corkage fees on TripAdvisor and being arrested for defamation. Mr. Azhar said this is a huge problem for the big platforms, giving the example of the banning of neo-Nazi content in Germany. He said this comes back to the internet’s original design breakthrough, which is also one of its original sins, in that it was cast in simplistic terms as an end-to-end, globally coherent network that somehow resides in the ether above national and territorial sovereignty. Mr. Sanger concluded with the suggestion that geopolitics is clawing its way back and seeking to reimpose the national lines of sovereignty that the internet was out to destroy.

athensdemocracyforum.com PANEL DISCUSSION INFORMATION WARS

Dan Shefet, Attorney, Paris Court of Appeal Wietse Van Ransbeeck, Co-Founder and C.E.O., CitizenLab Orit Farkash-Hacohen, Minister for Strategic Affairs, Israel

Moderated by Liz Alderman, Chief European Business Correspondent, The New York Times

Alluding to the issues around technology raised in the previous session, Liz Alderman framed the theme of the discussion in terms of the role of governments in technological oversight. Orit Farkash-Hacohen stated that there is no doubt that social media has become a haven for fake news, incitement and hate speech, which she believes has been exacerbated by the coronavirus. She described how some interest groups manipulate and misuse the principle of freedom of speech to spread views of hatred and violence on social media, which they are free to do because social media platforms are not subject to the same stringent rules as traditional media around fact-checking to preserve integrity. Underscoring the power of social media platforms to control and corrupt minds, she added that these companies must understand that with their power comes responsibility and accountability. She believes that governments should regulate, and described the engagement roundtable that has commenced in Israel with the social media networks, summarizing the aims process in terms of the creation of clear policies and their enforcement without double standards, increased transparency, and the removal of problematic contracts. Using the powerful example of a tweet in which the Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei referred to Israel as a “malignant cancerous tumor” and called for the Jewish state’s eradication, she expressed her despair that Twitter refused to remove the content on the grounds that their policies relating to censorship of world leaders had not been violated. She stated that whether it is anti-Semitism, incitement or any other form of hate speech, double standards enabling world leaders to cross the red line is an even bigger problem, as they have more influence than young people.

Dan Shefet simplified the difference between approaches to regulation and accountability in the U.S., through the Communications Decency Act of 1996, and Europe, through the European E-Commerce Directive from the year 2000. He stated

43 that, in the U.S., tech platforms enjoy absolute immunity and cannot be held accountable from a legal point of view for third party-generated content, so they are not liable for any content that appears on their sites because the companies do not generate the content themselves. Defining the European approach as relative immunity, he distinguished this from the U.S. approach on the basis of actual knowledge, whereby social media platforms are accountable as of the moment they acquire actual knowledge of hurtful content. He explained that both of these laws are being revisited, inspired by President Trump’s executive order against Twitter. He stated that all legislation aimed at social media platforms’ accountability needs to comply with these two basic laws. Comparing the success of Germany’s hate speech law that stood up to constitutional scrutiny and took effect in January 2018, with the French equivalent that was almost struck down entirely in June of that year, he outlined the difference in terms of the German approach being systemic, clarifying that if the platforms put in place an oversight system employing artificial intelligence, which allows them to pre-emptively detect and act when they acquired actual knowledge, then they cannot be held accountable for any content that slips through the system. If they do not have such a system, he confirmed, then they may be accountable and liable to pay fines of up to €50 million. He stated that even though the system of fact-checking combined with A.I. may not be 100 percent effective, a social media platform cannot be held responsible and accountable from a legal point of view if they have put everything in place possible to prevent it. Ultimately, he said, the French law failed because it was content oriented and not system oriented.

Defining the digital democracy platform offered by Citizen Lab as a bottom-up tool to help citizens have a say in government policies and projects, Wietse Van Ransbeeck

athensdemocracyforum.com expressed his view that social media is not a means of having a constructive debate due to the existence of filter bubbles and echo chambers, stating that it is the responsibility of governments to determine how we should rethink social media to promote digital democracy, suggesting that if the platforms and their data were owned by governments, then they would be in control and able to design open-source platforms to ensure that democratic values are safeguarded. Underlining the notion that such platforms would constitute an open space for citizens to deliberate, which is a crucial component of democracy in the digital age, he stated that it is important that we do not just speak to people who think the same as us, but that we seek out opposing views in order to come to a consensus together. Citing a recent New York Times Op-Ed piece in which Tom Friedman described Facebook and Twitter as “huge, unedited cesspools of conspiracy theories,” Ms. Alderman raised her concern that these alternative platforms could be used in in a similar way by those looking to forward their own agenda. Mr. Van Ransbeeck underlined the importance of verifying citizens’ identities.

Ms. Farkash-Hacohen responded by insisting said it is not a question of ability, but rather a question of will, adding that the social media giants have the technology to do whatever they want, but they need to be as committed to this as they are to their profits. She insisted that just as nations are responsible for their citizens, social media platforms should be responsible for their users, highlighting their record- breaking profits as more than sufficient to invest in the resources required to achieve this. She expressed her belief that social media platforms should work in partnership with governments to define values, suggesting that regulation should focus on the result in terms of a zero-tolerance approach to incitement and violence rather than focusing on punishments and fines.

Mr. Shefet described the concept of moral disarmament as a legacy of the League of Nations that attempted to do away with hurtful information that was intended to destabilize neighboring countries, providing the example of the Goebbels propaganda machine some years later to demonstrate its inefficiency. On the possibility of revisiting the idea of some sort of treaty, he warned that even if a handful of U.N. member states refused to sign up, these would become safe havens and thereby defeat the whole purpose given the universality of social media. He also clarified that the protection of human rights is an obligation on states, not corporations. Finally, he highlighted that it is extremely difficult for the most highly trained judges in the world to decide whether something represents illicit speech.

45 CONVERSATION FROM “ELITE CHARADE” TO REAL CHANGE

Anand Giridharadas, Author With Roger Cohen, Athens Democracy Forum Host and Op-Ed Columnist, The New York Times

Explaining his core idea, Mr. Giridharadas summarized a double-barreled paradox with extraordinary elite generosity by an increasingly conspicuous number of billionaires trying to change the world on the one hand, and extraordinary elite hoarding that enables the same billionaires to increase their chokehold on wealth, power and political influence in order to perpetuate the very inequalities that their do-gooding appears to be trying to address on the other. He highlighted philanthropy, impact investing and social venture capital among the slew of buzzword initiatives through which billionaires undertake and publicize their endeavors of generosity, stating that the websites of big corporations are similarly replete with photos of a community activity in which employees wear matching T shirts and dig something once a year, adding that the worse the company is, the higher the level of do- gooding. He framed his investigation in terms of the connection between both sides of the paradox, asking whether these initiatives by Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and others are genuine in their attempts to use their generosity as a catalyst for real change, or whether this wave of do-gooding is the wingman protecting their ability to do harm and make a killing, by placating people just enough into perpetuating their world and the system that benefits them enormously.

Responding to Mr. Cohen’s question about whether the likes of Bill and Melinda Gates and the Sackler family actually had nefarious intentions in donating billions to charitable causes, Mr. Giridharadas utilized the words of Paulo Freire stating that this do-gooding brings together “the naïve and the shrewd.” He stated that the Gates are on a different end of the spectrum from the Sacklers, accusing the latter family of using the Tate and other arts charities and educational institutions as a drive-through reputational laundromat. At the opposite end of the spectrum, he put forward his view that the question of the power of wealthy people over public life remains. He clarified his point, stating that if Bill Gates is spending money in a foreign country that does not have the democratic capacity to solve a specific problem on its own, like

athensdemocracyforum.com providing medicines, this is acceptable. However, he warned that if Mark Zuckerberg is trying to reinvent schools in Newark or if Jeff Bezos is starting a free preschool for children from low-income families, then their complicity in the very existence and continuation of these problems via unfair wages, tax evasion, tax avoidance and lobbying cannot be ignored.

Mr. Cohen asked if this is what Mr. Giridharadas means when he often writes that the system is rigged; that the wealthy have substituted themselves for the state, albeit a much weakened one. Mr. Giridharadas expressed his view that neoliberalism, or “capital supremacy” as he likes to call it, represents a 40-year war akin to the intellectual, moral and political hijacking of the American political system and discourse. Originally espoused in the ’80s by the likes of Ronald Reagan, who said “government is the problem;” and Margaret Thatcher, who said “there is no such thing as society;” he explained that this was a radical departure from what had gone before, warning that we are still in the back of the plane that these leaders were flying. He stated that under this intellectual regime, the opposition ends up moderating and ultimately consolidating the takeover, as evidenced by Clinton’s declaration in 1996 that “the era of big government is over.” He added that we have lived in a consensus ideology that markets can deliver the public good and governments should get out of the way, stating that the question becomes how we can reclaim the idea of democracy as morally superior and frankly sexier and more exciting to young people.

Underscoring the need to return to democracy as the place we go to change the world, Mr. Giridharadas emphasized the importance of thinking about who we valorize and the role of the media within that, giving the example of Mark Zuckerberg who was valorized as an entrepreneur and a hero, but who, in his view, ended up becoming one of the world’s most dangerous enablers of fascism. Explaining that the stature of public service varies in different societies, he outlined his plea to change the valuation of the public and private in our collective imagination in order to restore the idea of collective change-making, warning that the fetishization of entrepreneurship and the denigration of the democratic pursuit of change is everywhere.

Highlighting the changes that 2020 has wrought, Mr. Cohen stated that “the old dispensation,” to quote T.S. Eliot, is gone for now. He asked how the virus has

47 bolstered his push for a radical remake of capitalist society, particularly the United States. Mr. Giridharadas responded by summarizing five intersecting crises, in terms of Covid and the underlying health crisis, the economic crisis, the racial uprising of the summer, the crisis of the Democrats, and the climate crisis. He expressed his view that Donald Trump is just a boil on a very sick body politic, stating that it feels like one of those moments in history when an order, a regime and a way of living is dying. Referring to the five crises as a loud cry in our ears that we have not been living right in relation to race and equality, the planet, food and sustainability, our economy, health wise or in our cherished but neglected democracy, he emphasized this moment as an opportunity of the kind that has often been seized upon in history to bounce back. Mr. Cohen compared this moment with Franklin D. Roosevelt who confronted a crisis of similar proportions when the New Deal was pushed through. Mr. Giridharadas referenced a book by Jean Monnet about the origins of creating a Pan-European supra-democracy, which in itself was an acknowledgement of the sense that we had not been living right, albeit one that was measured in millions and millions of murders. He outlined his view that although the European Union is not very fashionable right now, its creation is a testament to the gravity of the moment and our ability to seize the opportunity to change. It remains one of the great achievements of humankind and serves as a reminder that we can do this again, he said.

athensdemocracyforum.com PANEL DISCUSSION CAPITALISM IN A POST-COVID WORLD

Eric Li, Venture Capitalist and Political Scientist, Shanghai Valerie Keller, Co-Founder and C.E.O., IMAGINE Frédéric Pierucci, Author, Former Senior Executive at Alstom, and Founding Partner, IKARIAN Beata Javorcik, Chief Economist, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Moderated by Liz Alderman, Chief European Business Correspondent, The New York Times

Liz Alderman stated that the Covid crisis appears to be serving as a wake-up call for reforming capitalism, with shareholders pressing companies to take more responsibility amid increasing concerns about inequality, climate change and populism while governments around the world are stepping forward with huge financial packages to support their economies. Responding to an opening question regarding the extent to which the pandemic will change capitalism as we know it, Beata Javorcik expressed her belief that the current crisis will result in greater public support for state ownership, which has been growing steadily over the past two decades due to escalating dissatisfaction with rising levels of inequality as well as with the shifting of risk away from business to low-income workers. Based on previous economic downturns, she explained that people who come into adulthood during a period of recession are more likely to support public ownership. On this basis, she sees an increased role for the state to be part of the solution rather than the problem in the post-pandemic world. Eric Li disagreed, stating that the pandemic should change capitalism as we know it, but this probably will not happen. He explained his view that capitalism has become political capitalism, or neoliberalism, which means capital or the special interests that represent capital have captured the political system for their own good, adding that the system has been ossified and capitalism cannot solve problems like the pandemic without political reform. He stated that the pandemic has revealed a major dysfunction in governance in many capitalist or liberal societies and we are seeing a total degradation of governance and state capacity to solve problems for the collective, defining this as a political rather than an economic problem, which is, therefore, more difficult to solve.

49 Frédéric Pierucci outlined the current economic crisis in terms of the trade war between the United States and China and exacerbated by Covid, referring to it as a perfect storm, in which we need a change in global leadership. He said that for democracy to work, you need rules that everybody understands, obeys, and trusts, and you need hope that tomorrow is going to be better. He described how we moved from a post- World War II system of multilateralism to unilateralism as a result of states changing the rules, adding that people have lost trust in the rules and we have lost the trust of the people. He said that the pandemic has shown people in democratic societies that the state cannot ensure their economic safety or health safety, lamenting that we are going into a world that is much more chaotic than before, but insisting that Covid is merely an accelerator of what had already been planted.

Valerie Keller suggested that the pandemic already has changed the world, highlighting that we have realized that we are globally interconnected and that we can respond to major challenges quickly, adding that we have also realized that nobody is driving spaceship Earth. She explained that within this realization, individual leaders and people in positions of power are asking how they can operate within that reality, highlighting a seminal shift around the inadequacies of capitalism and the Friedman ideology. She outlined a further seminal moment in Walmart’s recent announcement that it is to become a regenerative company, describing it as a mind-set shift that will change how it does business. She emphasized that human beings are the system, adding that C.E.O.s are human beings in business leadership positions and when they pull together across a value chain alongside human beings in government and the regulatory space, business can be done in

athensdemocracyforum.com a different way and markets can be transformed. She stated that this is already happening in terms of the awareness that the current system is not working for all of us or our host environment. She subsequently stated that the environmental problems that businesses and industries have perpetrated were caused not by ill will, but because people were acting unconsciously. She insisted that there are human beings in corporations with a global mindset who are undergoing a consciousness shift and starting to think about their supply chain, adding that we have the money, the innovation, the technology and the know-how, and the shift from theory into practice is already underway. She also highlighted her belief that enough younger humans are waking up and saying this does not work for us.

Ms. Javorcik affirmed Ms. Keller’s point about the shift in awareness, but warned that there is a collective action problem, underlining that it is not easy for firms to embark on a green transformation in times of economic hardship. There is a silent backlash building up against capitalism and private ownership, she said. She described how large corporations working in emerging markets are already doing things better because they are under pressure from their clients in advanced countries, but reinforced the need for regulation to level the playing field for small and midsize businesses.

Mr. Li also expressed his support for Ms. Keller, but underlined that the arguments he is hearing today around corporate social responsibility are the same as when he was in business school more than 25 years ago. He said that while he is not a fan of Milton Friedman, he agreed with his technical analysis. He outlined his belief that the answer does not lie in the hands of C.E.O.s, but in the hands of political leaders, warning that because those political leaders are in the pockets of special interests in capitalist societies, capitalism cannot be reformed without drastic institutional reforms. Mr. Pierucci agreed with Mr. Li that companies are not going to change because they are not built in this way, adding that only governments can impose this on companies. He also agreed with Ms. Keller that this change needs to come from the younger generation. Emphasizing that the pandemic has demonstrated the extent to which too many countries are dependent on too many low-cost, just-in-time deliveries of goods, he described the shift that we are already seeing toward re-industrialization as a new kind of capitalism with pressure coming from the street, as people want to have jobs and want to make sure they can manufacture goods at home.

51 PANEL DISCUSSION THE DOUBLE THREAT TO EUROPEAN DEMOCRACY

Sponsored by Facebook and the Kofi Annan Foundation

Katie Harbath, Director of Public Policy, Facebook Stephen Stedman, Professor, Stanford University; Secretary General, Kofi Annan Commission on Elections and Democracy in the Digital Age Daniel Braun, Deputy Head of Cabinet for the European Commission’s Vice President for Values and Transparency

Moderated by Sébastien Brack, Head, Elections and Democracy Program, Kofi Annan Foundation

Sébastien Brack stated that the pandemic has intensified the “democratic recession” – a phrase coined by Larry Diamond to describe the erosion of democratic norms, values and the decline in the quality of elections around the world, adding that this has been combined with growing disillusionment with the impact of social media in our democracies. Stephen Stedman stated that social media is not so much the cause of political polarization as an exacerbator, but affirmed that this does not let social media off the hook. He outlined his view that the level of polarization and distrust in the United States makes it highly vulnerable to the disinformation and hate speech that is common on social media, to the point that the country is in the biggest electoral crisis since 1876. He said that the social media platforms should be asking themselves how they can be a force for electoral integrity, emphasizing that this is a systemic problem that includes the traditional media alongside political parties and leaders. He gave Facebook credit for some of its initiatives to address some of these issues in recent months, but affirmed that there is a long way to go. Katie Harbath stated that Facebook is a fundamentally different company since 2016 and election integrity has become a huge priority, emphasizing efforts to increase transparency, combat foreign interference, work with fact checkers to check misinformation and ensure that people are informed voters. Agreeing with Mr. Stedman that they have a long way to go, she stated that these endeavors have no finish line, adding that the company needs to keep getting better to enable it to get to a place where it can amplify the good part about what social media can do for democracy and eliminate the bad.

athensdemocracyforum.com Referencing the Kofi Annan Commission’s report entitled “Protecting Electoral Integrity in the Digital Age,” Mr. Stedman outlined a number of areas where Facebook has made progress on implementing some of its recommendations, but emphasized the sheer amount of misinformation as an ongoing challenge, adding that there is a strong perception of a tilt to the right at Facebook. Ms. Harbath framed Facebook’s goal in terms of providing the same tools and opportunities to all political parties across the political spectrum, emphasizing that they are calling on regulation to help tech companies help others to solve these problems. We do not think we should be making these decisions on our own, she said. She defined Facebook’s

53 three-pronged approach to community standards for managing content: reduce, remove, and inform. Responding to Mr. Brack’s question on foreign manipulation, she confirmed that Facebook has taken down numerous networks that are trying to utilize the platform to sow distrust in the election, adding that the company needs to constantly update its systems because of the shifting tactics employed.

Piggybacking on Ms. Harbath’s earlier comment that it should be the role of governments to regulate what content should and should not be allowed, Mr. Stedman outlined a key lesson for the E.U. in terms of the timing, emphasizing that trying to regulate in a polarized environment will be viewed through the prism of which party stands to benefit most from it. He stated that the social media platforms should ask more of political parties and candidates, suggesting the development of ethical standards to make political advertising dependent upon living up to those commitments, especially in countries where regulation is going to be seen as a weapon of political advantage one way or the other.

Responding to Mr. Brack’s question on whether social media has been scapegoated, Ms. Harbath acknowledged that Facebook has a lot of responsibility, and stated that it takes this responsibility seriously. She said that the company should be criticized and held to account for the work that it is doing, but reaffirmed the need to be working together with government, civil society and other tech companies and media to try to solve these problems. Pivoting to the European context, she outlined some of the challenges presented as a result of different laws in different member states, stating that clear rules of the road are required to determine what is or is not allowed in different countries. Mr. Brack confirmed that while Facebook is a global platform, the regulations around democracy are more robust in some European countries than in others. He introduced Daniel Braun, hailing the public consultation on the Democracy Action Plan that he has been working on as a milestone in trying to ensure that the intergovernmental response is in tune with the concerns of citizens and other electoral stakeholders. Mr. Braun stated that the basic starting point of the public consultation was that if the participation of citizens in public life is to be meaningful and effective, they should be allowed to form their opinions free of interference. On disinformation, he stated that there is significant support for complementing the code of practice with some form of regulation, enhanced self-regulation or co- regulation, as well as around transparency with regard to misleading content through

athensdemocracyforum.com labels, sharing alerts, exposure notifications, and so on. Confirming that the full findings of the consultation are currently being analyzed, he briefly summarized the three integrated areas around which it will be constructed: electoral integrity; strengthening freedom of expression through media freedom, media pluralism and civil society; and tackling disinformation in a coherent manner with consideration given to all means used to interfere in elections, including not only the social media platforms but also the sources of coordinated, manipulative behavior. He stated that a fragmented market hampers the ability to address cross-border threats, but also businesses, emphasizing the action plan’s aim to harmonize responses and actions. He stated that it is becoming harder to delineate the foreign and domestic spheres, but reiterated the importance of addressing the external dimension, particularly in relation to foreign interference and disinformation, adding that there is a need to support media in our neighborhoods so there is less space for manipulation from outside.

55 INTRODUCTION BY Achilles Tsaltas, President, Athens Democracy Forum

Achilles Tsaltas welcomed speakers and delegates to the Aristotle Address, stating that this is the eighth year of the Athens Democracy Forum, but the first time that we are unable to convene in the hallowed ancient agora where our Greek forebearers first shaped the idea of rule by the people. He admitted finding it a bit more difficult to complain about what we are going through today with the majestic Stoa of Attalos as a backdrop, referencing the many triumphs and tragedies those majestic stones and witnessed over the ages and the anguished disputes in times of plague, war and despotism. Yet, at the end of the day, wisdom and reason have always reclaimed their place of honor, he said, adding that this is not an argument for surrender or passivity. He explained that the existential threat presented by climate change is what differentiates what we are going through today with any other point in our known history. He said that as cognizant as we are of this, it is nevertheless a reminder that, even in times like these when we need to stay far apart from each other, when brute force and intolerance is on the ascent, and when our planet is threatened by our greed and blindness, the human spirit can and will prevail.

Mr. Tsaltas stated that the Greek philosophers who sat among those timeless Athenian columns were certain, in the words of Pericles, that “time is the wisest counsellor of all.” Expressing his view that what we are living through is not an aberration, the new abnormal – the theme of the Forum – is the new norm, the one constant through the ages. Quoting Heraclitus, another Grecian sage, he said, “no man ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he is not the same man,” explaining that continual change was the way of the world, while resisting change by clinging to what is known and safe was unnatural, adding that this is the message of our theme and the message of the Athenian agora. Urging delegates not to despair because time is on our side, he emphasized that however gloomy the world may seem, the ancient agora seems to cast its wonderful and creative spell, even from a distance.

Mr. Tsaltas reiterated his welcome, stating that he trusts today’s address will meet the high standards of what has gone before among these stones over the ages. He took the opportunity to thank all sponsors and partners for their belief in the Forum and its mission in such a volatile year. Above all, he expressed his thanks to The New York Times and the Times Company’s Stephen Dunbar-Johnson for his

athensdemocracyforum.com support. Describing how the Athens Democracy Forum was founded eight years ago at The New York Times, he stated that it is a testament to the paper’s foresight that they allowed it to evolve under the nonprofit structure of the Democracy & Culture Foundation, which stays closely within the Timesian sensibility, but as an independent entity can focus more on the “do” component of the foundation’s Think– Talk–Do impact chain for the attainment of two outcomes: citizen engagement and better governance. He stated that Mayor Bakoyannis and the City of Athens remain faithful to this endeavor, as does the Kofi Annan Foundation, whose founder was a major inspiration behind this Forum. Defining the Aristotle address as a staple of the Athens Democracy Forum, he stated that it is usually delivered by a head of state, but this year, he said, we have decided to shake things up a little bit by inviting Microsoft President Brad Smith. Describing him as one of the foremost leaders in the private sector, he joked that Mr. Smith may even share with us how Aristotle would have dealt with cloud computing and technology, outlining that he will respond to what Aristotle said some 2,500 years ago just around the corner: “If liberty and equality, as is thought by some, are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in government to the utmost.”

Mr. Tsaltas expressed his hope that the Forum will be able to go ahead in Athens, in person, a year from now at the ancient agora and in a safer and better world of a new normal. Before passing over to Mr. Smith as Aristotle, he welcomed Mayor of Athens Kostas Bakoyannis to the stage as the successor to Pericles, thanking him for his vision, his “can do” spirit that is of crucial importance to the Foundation, and for hosting the Forum in his beautiful city.

57 ADDRESS BY Kostas Bakoyannis, Mayor of Athens, Hellenic Republic

Stating that it is an honor and a distinct pleasure to welcome delegates to Athens, even from afar, Kostas Bakoyannis thanked Mr. Tsaltas and the entire Athens Democracy Forum team for bringing us all together for this annual gathering that has become an institution, adding that the timing is as pertinent as ever.

He said that today we stand in the face of an unprecedented pandemic and a financial crisis, with disenchantment in globalization, trust in institutions at a low point, social media confusing facts with fiction and even prejudice, nationalism reawakening, populism spreading, radicalism raising its ugly head and authoritarianism unfortunately re-emerging. He stated that the history of Athens and of the whole world teaches us that crises such as these can awaken both our best and our worst selves, adding that Athens, as the birthplace of democracy, is the ideal setting for this Forum.

Mayor Bakoyannis stated that the pandemic came at a cruel time for the city of Athens, just as it was emerging from a decade of economic crisis, adding that, however paradoxical it may sound, its people remained optimistic. He stated that, since the beginning of the pandemic, not only have we prioritized facts, science, truth and transparency over and above politics and partisanship, but also a new managerial style has emerged harnessing the crisis for much-needed reforms, adding that the pandemic was a real catalyst at both the city and national level. Admitting that there is much still to do, he emphasized that a lot will depend on whether we want to bounce back or bounce forward. Reflecting on how history will remember 2020, he stated that he often asks himself whether it is a public health crisis with unforeseen economic and social consequences, or a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, suggesting that the answer lies in the job description that we assign to ourselves. Make no mistake, there is no back to normal, he warned, adding that this is not merely about crisis management or yet another challenge – however significant – to public administration; the very essence of democracy is at stake, he said.

He explained that there is no point whatsoever in sermons lamenting the paradise lost or an idealized state of democracy that we all know never really existed. Quoting Winston Churchill, who said in 1947 that “democracy is the worst form of government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time,” he stated

athensdemocracyforum.com 59 that, admittedly, democracy is an imperfect system of governance. He turned once more to the words of Winston Churchill, who spoke in 1944 in the midst of war of the “little man,” stating that, in other words, democracy is probably the grandest and most expensive failsafe constructed in human history, and it is constructed to guard and to protect the weakest among us, adding that it is a testament to humanity’s endless capacity and will for solidarity. He warned that somewhere along the way, we have taken democracy for granted and moved on, lamenting a growing sense of unease settles among many of us as a result. There is no easy answer, he added.

He stated that one thing is clear; democracy is linked with debate, which often fails to incorporate rigorous, robust, forceful engagement and pushback that we need more of, not less. He emphasized that the terms of the debate have changed, underscoring that language matters. He warned that arrogant condescension is the worst recipe, adding that simply hurling epithets at those who disagree with us is not good enough and fear mongering does not work. One cannot preach about how to hold a knife or a fork to someone who has no food on his or her plate, he said, reinforcing that we need a new and inclusive agenda – a positive agenda – that leaves no one behind, especially those who feel disenchanted, and maybe even despised. He expressed his belief that politics is about meaning and self-worth, adding that this is particularly true in the era of social media. He outlined his belief on the importance of engaging everyone, especially the young – those millennials whose technological identity and precarious working conditions make them feel disenfranchised and therefore require a different commitment.

Mayor Bakoyannis stated that if he were to sum up in four words, he would say “shut up and listen,” and if he were to sum up in one word, he would say “humility,” concluding that the world has, after all, turned upside down. Welcoming Microsoft’s Brad Smith to the floor, he commented that it is the future of democracy visiting its birthplace.

athensdemocracyforum.com THE ARISTOTLE ADDRESS

Brad Smith, President of Microsoft

Brad Smith declared that this is a moment in time for us all to come to Athens, virtually or physically, to take stock of the state of democracy. Referencing The Economist’s annual review which states that there are 3.7 billion people on this planet living in the 76 nations that are classified as democracies, he stated that never before in human history have so many people benefited from democratic rights at the same time. However, he affirmed that he did not come to Athens to celebrate democracy, but to highlight this as a moment in time to talk seriously about the threats that technology is creating for the health of democracy, adding that only if we take stock of these threats can we take the necessary steps to put technology to work to preserve and protect democracy’s future.

61 Mr. Smith placed these threats into three categories: the threats to individual rights posed by the potential of facial recognition and massive government surveillance that undermine the ability of people to come together and formulate their views and to share them with others in private; the threat to access to information caused by the rise of new models of information dissemination that has resulted in diminishing print media and the creation of news deserts where communities no longer have a paper at all; and an enormous and critical range of disinformation and misinformation threats to our democratic processes, including the weaponization of social media to attack those who run for or serve in office, as well as our very voting, which he described as the most critical essence of democracy itself. He insisted that these are not the kind of risks that a democracy can afford to run, and stated that we need to think very hard about whether it is possible to have a healthy social media sector and a healthy democracy at the same time.

He stated that in order to address these problems, we first need to recognize how serious they are and then we need to take new steps together. He suggested starting with new guard rails around technology, in some cases by law, highlighting the legislation recently passed in the U.S. and currently being discussed in Europe to ban the use of facial recognition technology to surveille those engaged in peaceful protest. He also suggested the need for guard rails around social media, expressing his view that we need to ask ourselves whether political advertising is good or bad for democracy and, if it is not, we need to ask ourselves whether it should be reformed or eliminated. He added that we also need to strengthen our technology defenses, insisting that this needs to start from the technology sector itself. He said it is heartening to see the progress and new steps across the industry to harden technology defenses against attacks from our adversaries, warning that our work is not done and never will be done as this is the new era of technology cat and mouse; every time we strengthen our defenses, the tactics to use technology to attack democracy will evolve and we need to evolve with it.

Mr. Smith continued by underlining the importance of pursuing new models to support a healthy and free press, highlighting that we need a broadly informed electorate, and if the free market is not achieving this today, we have to be prepared to step in with the creation of new revenue-sharing enterprises or public support. Facing the threat of more and more news deserts, we cannot afford to be penny wise

athensdemocracyforum.com and pound foolish, he said. He emphasized that we need new international norms advanced by the world’s democracies to protect the world’s democracies to ensure that governments cannot attack each other’s electoral systems with impunity. He also suggested that, as we move forward, we need to create the equivalent of a digital Geneva Convention to provide the kind of the clarity established under international law that governments are not permitted to attack the civilian infrastructure of other countries in the same way as the original Geneva Convention prevents them from attacking civilians in a time of war. He stated that, finally and perhaps most importantly, we need the world’s democracies to come together around the multilateral defense of cyberspace in much the same way as we recognized that we needed an alliance across the Atlantic to protect the democracies that were recovering from World War II. He stated that there will be times when we require new deterrent doctrines, some of which will be unilateral in nature, but more often we need the collective and multilateral defense of the world to move forward in a way that recognizes that, in the 21st century, multilateralism requires multistakeholderism; a partnership between governments, tech companies and other business, and the great organizations that constitute civil society around the world.

In closing, he stated that the most important thing we should recognize is that democracy is a fragile thing, adding that if there is one thing that we should remember from ancient Athens, it is that the great democratic era of this city state lasted for less than two centuries. Yet each time places around the world have sought to build on that tradition, they too have had to confront enormous threats, he continued, emphasizing that the Roman Republic did not last forever. Stating that this decade will see the 250th anniversary of democracy in the United States, he underscored that we cannot take democracy for granted. He proposed that we should come to Athens, the cradle of democracy, to recognize that only by working together can we ensure that democracy has a sustained and bright future.

63 THE GLOBAL CONVERSATION

Brad Smith, President of Microsoft With Liz Alderman, Chief European Business Correspondent, The New York Times

Introducing Brad Smith as the longest-serving executive at Microsoft, Liz Alderman described him as the institutional bridge between the current leadership and its legendary founder, a global ambassador for the tech industry more broadly, and the private-sector equivalent of a head of state in terms of his role advising governments around the world on the threats posed by technology.

Responding to Ms. Alderman’s question around changing attitudes to social media, Mr. Smith commented that the last decade has seen a profound shift, stating that we saw a wonderful start around the Arab Spring with social media, technology and communications technology being hailed “engines of democracy.” He went on to describe an inflection point in 2013 around the Snowden disclosures when people started to understand what governments could do with technology, and another five years later around Cambridge Analytica in terms of social media being used in a manner that its creators had not conceived. He confirmed the element of denial four years ago about the extent to which the Russians were using technology to attack the electoral process in the United States. He stated that these realizations combined, together with the piling on from other countries and groups, forced the industry to acknowledge the problem, adding that it is still grappling with the specifics and the potential magnitude of the steps it may need to take to protect democracy adequately.

Ms. Alderman highlighted the involvement of tech companies in the aftermath of the Christchurch mosque shootings in 2019 with respect to taking down inciteful and hateful content. Mr. Smith stated that there are interesting and important models that give us some learning and some inspiration for the future, adding that rather than one line, multiple lines will need to be drawn. He praised the response of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in taking action by championing the Christchurch Call, in which governments and tech companies came together and created something of a line around the use of social media to disseminate violent extremism, adding that a crucial lesson was learned around the dangers of live streaming, leading to a range of different constraints being applied across the

athensdemocracyforum.com tech sector. Reiterating the calls for regulation expressed earlier in the Forum, he emphasized the need to go beyond these voluntary efforts.

Mr. Smith responded to Ms. Alderman’s comment regarding the widely expressed criticism of the tech companies that this is a cowardly stance, outlining his personal view in terms of a role for both the tech companies and governments, especially the democratic governments around the world, in developing and enacting laws to create the safeguards and limitations around, say, electoral processes. He stated that the criticism more broadly needs to be heard and needs to be heeded because we will never live in a world where we can count on every government to act. He added that, as companies, they have a responsibility to be responsible, and described Microsoft’s facial regulation principles, which the company believes should be embodied in law. On Ms. Alderman’s point about the extent to which Microsoft should be involved in creating facial recognition technology to begin with, he highlighted the importance of questioning the investment in any new technology that is not advancing some societal benefit. He emphasized the advantage of facial recognition in terms of identifying a missing person or identifying terrorists at border points, but readily agreed that this technology is subject to abuse and misuse, stating that Microsoft self-regulated by putting a halt to the provision of facial recognition technology to U.S. police departments because the company believed that people’s fundamental human rights are at risk. On Ms. Alderman’s question regarding Microsoft’s ability

65 to monitor how their technology is being used if it should be acquired by a third party, he stated that only a regulatory floor can protect against this, highlighting that Washington State is the only place in the world where it is against the law for the police to use facial recognition technology to monitor peaceful protests. He expressed his wish that, decades from now, the people who work for Microsoft will be able to say that the company did the right thing, even if it did not make all the money it could have. Nobody is perfect, he said, but you are a lot better if you try.

Commenting that Aristotle would probably approve of that statement, Ms. Alderman turned the conversation to the digital Geneva convention. Defining the adoption of the Fourth Geneva Convention in 1949 by the nations of the world one as of the greatest moral advances of the 20th century, Mr. Smith described the fundamental tenet of the Convention in terms of a government’s legal responsibility not to cause civilian casualties, even in a time of war, asking how can we turn away when we are seeing cyberattacks on our civilian infrastructure in times of peace. Emphasizing that no law in the history of humanity has ever eliminated all forms of crime, he stated that this will not be a panacea, adding that we need to establish a kind of clarity around what is permissible and what is not, adding that the sooner we act to say that what a country is doing to disrupt another country’s electoral process is out of bounds, the faster we will have at least one of the building blocks that we need. Affirming his view that we need to protect democracy from the outside as well as from erosion from within, he stated that a broader conversation is required about political advertising, adding that the fundamental issue is whether something is good or bad for democracy and what the tech industry is prepared to do about it. On President Duterte’s recent threat to ban Facebook in the Philippines amid accusations that the platform was denying him his freedom of speech. Mr. Smith staunchly defended Facebook’s decision against the bullying of authoritarian regimes around the world. He reiterated the need for rules embodied in law, emphasizing that while the technology is global in terms of what has been created, it does not have to be global in its deployment.

Responding to Ms. Alderman’s question that Aristotle might ask in relation to whether the world that he has helped create allows humanity to achieve its ultimate goal of happiness and well-being, Mr. Smith stated that the jury is out, but stated that democracy was here long before any tech company, and expressed his fervent hope that it will have a long life, and that the tech industry does what it takes to ensure that.

athensdemocracyforum.com CONVERSATION WHAT CAN ANCIENT HISTORY TEACH US? Katherine Kelaidis, Resident Scholar, National Hellenic Museum, Chicago With Farah Nayeri, Culture Writer, The New York Times

Farah Nayeri opened the session by describing the symptoms of the plague that hit Athens nearly 25 centuries ago, as well as the scale of the devastation caused by the disease. Introducing Katherine Kelaidis, she described her article published in The Atlantic magazine in March, in which she argued that now is not a good time for a pandemic. Responding to Ms. Nayeri’s question about the correlation between pandemics and politics, Ms. Kelaidis stated that politics comes from the Greek word “polis,” meaning the city, and is about anything that happens in society, adding that human health sits at the very core of politics. She commented that a pandemic is political because it happens to people who live together in society, taking the opportunity to clarify that there is never a good time for a pandemic. Focusing on the United States, she expressed the danger posed by the extent of divisions within the country, the lack of trust at both ends of the political spectrum, and populism in the midst of a pandemic. She emphasized that what you need in a pandemic is experts, adding that if people do not trust the experts or, worse still, believe in some form of unauthenticated rival expertise, then people who do not have to die will die. Expressing her opinion that the Trump phenomenon is a product of the erosion of faith in democracy, she stated that democracy does not function well in societies lacking in self-confidence, which can end up becoming more authoritarian, and described how Trump equally draws support from the corners of American life that have lost their self-confidence. She affirmed her belief that a society that is already faltering and distrusting of expertise is going to be in real trouble when a biological threat is unleashed.

Drawing a parallel with the Plague of Athens, Ms. Kelaidis described how the city was in the midst of the Peloponnesian War with its great adversary Sparta, with people pouring into Athens because of urbanization and there was a crisis of confidence in the political class. Explaining that the plague disrupted the very fabric of Athenian life and exacerbated all of the self-doubts that Athenians had, she stated that their democracy slowly descended into autocracy, ultimately resulting in Alexander the Great’s conquest. She emphasized that the plague shook the Athenians’ core beliefs

67 about themselves and their ability to govern themselves, enabling authoritarianism to sneak in the back door. Ms. Nayeri commented that The New Yorker magazine made a similar point in an article in June, in terms of the damage to democracy lasting far longer than the pandemic, and the stakes of our own vulnerability right now are no different.

Ms. Kelaidis said that part of what’s going on with Covid is a competition between systems, and in terms of the number of infections and fatalities, the scorecard for American democracy does not look good. She expressed her fear that an analysis of the scorecards at the end of the pandemic will reveal a major fault with the system, not just a glitch. She explained that different people across the political spectrum are likely to give different reasons for the U.S.’s vulnerability, with those on the right blaming American openness and globalization and those on the left blaming systemic racism, income inequality and the absence of universal health care. Ultimately, she warned, if we conclude that these flaws are not fixable and run deep in the system’s foundation, then we have to tear down the building. She stated her belief that our faith in the foundations is in danger, adding that the bones are good, but expressing her worry about what happens when people stop believing this. She highlighted that there was nothing fundamentally wrong with Athenian

athensdemocracyforum.com democracy, but the Athenians came to believe that the system could not be fixed, adding that when too many people reach that same conclusion, it signals the death sentence for democracy. Expressing her concern that American democracy may be heading in the same direction, she compared the slow erosion of democratic norms with death by a thousand paper cuts. The pretense of democracy can be there, she said, but if people become immune to the erosion of democratic norms, then real democracy will cease to exist.

Citing an earlier discussion with Professor Paul Cartledge from Cambridge University, Ms. Nayeri outlined his disagreement with Ms. Kelaidis on the extent to which the Plague of Athens played a meaningful role in the downfall of democracy, which he stated ultimately bounced back and endured until its defeat by Macedonia in the fourth century. While she said she was reluctant to publicly disagree with the great Paul Cartledge, Ms. Kelaidis outlined the divergence in her views in terms of the buoyancy of the bounce back, adding that the plague had left dings in the armor of Athenian democracy that forever left it vulnerable. She affirmed her view that the fall of Athens was not destined by the plague. She commented that when we talk about classical Athens, we talk about the Athens of Pericles, emphasizing that the death of Pericles from the plague is very symbolic. Ms. Nayeri mentioned a further discussion with Professor Josiah Ober from Stanford University, commenting that both professors seem to believe that Athenian democracy held up better than Ms. Kelaidis has described. Ms. Kelaidis responded by saying that her opinion diverges in terms of how much damage was done, emphasizing that Athenian prestige in the world was affected, and from the plague going forward, the faith of Athenians in democracy was undermined and never returned. Even someone like Aristotle, who was a champion of democracy and Alexander the Great’s tutor, had his doubts, she said.

In relation to the upcoming U.S. election, Ms. Kelaidis described herself as cautiously optimistic with a level of concern. She stated that, while the polls are currently suggesting that Trump will be defeated, she is unsure what that looks like going forward. Expressing her fear that society may have been shaken too much to be fixed, she added that, as a granddaughter of immigrants, she has a great deal of faith in American society’s ability to heal itself. She expressed her view that the best hope for American democracy is that people are tired of fighting, but she is not sure that the current landscape allows this.

69 BENEDICTION

Khalil Osiris, Founder, Truth & Reconciliation Conversations

Khalil Osiris urged delegates to be reflective about how we see ourselves as human beings, stating that much of what we have heard about democracy in the broad context reveals that we are questioning how we govern ourselves and what type of society we want to live in, emphasizing the importance of asking ourselves what kind of human beings we choose to be. Highlighting the ideas around harnessing the good that is possible with big tech alongside the focus on the twin goals of achieving concrete outcomes in terms of better governance and citizen engagement, he stated that these will not be accomplished by government alone or by getting the best minds and biggest companies at the table. We have to ask it of ourselves no matter what title we have, he said.

Mr. Osiris commented that, for him, democracy would be meaningless without asking the existential question about what kind of human being we chose to be, outlining one of the challenges in terms of knowing how to take the next step, adding that if we are offering a critique or responding to something we disagree with, we need to ask ourselves how to do that with dignity. He appealed to delegates to think about how they can respond to the pandemic in a way that is different to what we have always done. Emphasizing that we keep saying that we are in a new abnormal, he expressed his view that we are not really in a new place if our thinking and our emotional response is the same as it has always been, adding that what the pandemic has done is hold up a mirror to us.

He stated that, as a Black American, he is deeply concerned about the meaning of this for him and how he can use this historic moment to do something extraordinary. He outlined the parallel crises unfolding in the world’s largest economy in terms of how the U.S. represents 4.5% of the world’s population, but yet the country has recorded 20% of global Covid fatalities and some of the highest infection rates. In addition, referencing the everyday language around the virus, he stated that the word “lockdown” is highly appropriate for the U.S., which houses 25% of the world’s prisoners. He stated that our response as a broader society is important, but emphasized that the deeper question lies in how we each respond as human beings to other human beings, and where we each have the greatest point of power

athensdemocracyforum.com to exercise an alternative narrative and an alternative view around what the crises present us with. He urged delegates to consider how they wish to be remembered as we think about this historic moment, affirming his desire to be remembered as the person who cared about every human being he came into contact with and who used other human beings as the starting point for his ideas, no matter how big those ideas are, adding that for those ideas to be meaningful, they must resonate with the ideas of other human beings.

Mr. Osiris described his time in a prison cell as the most painful period of his life, and as a time when he had accepted being the “other” and his role of victimhood rather than efficacy, adding that he had internalized the very thing that he had indicted others for being. He explained that when he poses this question in terms of what kind of human being do we want to be, he is not coming from an abstract place, but as a person who has led this kind of reflection.

In closing, Mr. Osiris urged delegates to think about they have been changed by this conference, as well as the purpose this will serve, and continued by asking how they will benefit from the privilege of participating in an event that, by design, seeks to achieve the two outcomes of better governance and citizen engagement. He stated that delegates in a position to actually act on this are now charged with the responsibility of doing so, adding that those, like himself, who are here as citizens must play that role, reinforcing that this call to action is not for one or two of us, but for all of us, framing the question in terms of how each of us will answer the call to be a better human being. He concluded by stating that he has seen what privilege looks like over the course of the Forum, prompting him to question the extent to which we can be undemocratic in our treatment of other human beings but yet authentically promote democracy as an ideal for others to embrace. He affirmed that the start of a great democracy is a person who chooses to be a decent person to other human beings.

71 BESPOKE BREAKFAST BRIEFING PANEL DISCUSSION: THE RISE OF AUTHORITARIANISM: WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?

Hosted by the Delphi Economic Forum

Mario Monti, President, Bocconi University and Former Prime Minister, Italy Anna Diamantopoulou, President, DIKTIO, Former European Commissioner and Former Cabinet Minister, Hellenic Republic Ian Lesser, Vice President, German Marshall Fund of the USA, Brussels

Moderated by Matina Stevis-Gridneff, Brussels Correspondent, The New York Times

On the morning that President Trump tested positive for Covid-19 and the European Union made a major foreign policy decision to impose sanctions on Belarus, Matina Stevis-Gridneff declared that it is a great time to be talking about the seeds of authoritarianism and illiberalism. Mario Monti stated his believe that, to some extent, the failure within our democratic systems is an internal weakness, which he clarified in terms of the imbalance which looms large between the high levels of integration between markets and societies and very low levels of integration between the policies and institutions of the different countries. He also stated that problems tend to be more unmanageable in the absence of a long-term perspective and where a high degree of coordination among countries is lacking, highlighting this as a consequence of the fact that leaders in democratic countries tend to look at problems up to the next election and have difficulty coordinating internationally until there is a big crisis.

Anna Diamantopoulou explained that liberalism and democracy were triumphing back when Fukuyama spoke about the “end of history” in 1992, but stated that this is not the case today, as we are experiencing the strange death of liberal consensus and, for the first time since the Second World War, we see that our institutions are fragile. She said that, in Europe, we have experienced all kinds of populism from the extreme left to the far right, and today we have anti-maskers and the Covid deniers, warning that when this finds its way into government, it can lead to the kind of authoritarian regimes that we have seen in Eastern Europe and Turkey. Providing the examples of Italy and Greece as countries with strong democratic foundations

athensdemocracyforum.com and functioning institutions where authoritarianism did not take hold, even when extreme populist governments were in power, she stated that elected leaders can easily become elected autocrats when institutions are weak. Highlighting how globalization and the global political imbalance changed the reality in Europe and changed people’s perspectives about their future, she stated that the mainstream parties did not appear to have answers, but the populists came in and persuaded people with their easy answers, and, once in government, they can easily become autocrats as this is the only way they can perform.

Ian Lesser stated that there are leaders who have been very confident at conjuring up and playing on insecurity in society, and explained that this personalization goes beyond populism, and comes down to leaders presenting themselves as saviors, giving the example of the election rhetoric presented by President Trump and what we hear in other places like Brazil, as well as in Central and Eastern Europe. He lamented that, in the transactional global environment, we have either become complacent or simply more tolerant of authoritarian regimes and creeping authoritarianism. He put forward his view that, globally, we are not as critical or quick to sanction, which makes a more permissive environment, adding that it is difficult for authoritarian leaders to leave power, as it is interwoven with nepotism and corruption. Mr. Monti stated that any new and more aggressive instruments to fight authoritarianism at the E.U. level would be very limited unless accompanied by changes to the unanimity rule, due to the possibility of blackmail. Highlighting the current examples of Poland and Hungary keeping the rest of the E.U. hostage as they threaten not to agree on crucial decisions, he stated that this gives disproportionate power to those minority countries opposing the mainstream decisions that are perceived to be acceptable to the majority. He emphasized the need for the bloc to gradually evolve from being a union of states into a union of people. In order to achieve this, he suggested increasing the power of European Parliament and decreasing the role of the European Council, which is where member-state interests are most strongly represented, adding that the Council is the least useful instrument for the progress of Europe. Ms. Diamantopoulou agreed that it is an institutional issue, highlighting that the E.U. is not strict about implementing the rules of democracy, but it was very quick to enforce economic rules in relation to Greece and Italy during the financial crisis.

73 Responding to Ms. Stevis-Gridneff’s question regarding the role of the technology platforms in influencing the healthy functioning of democracies and the increase in authoritarianism, Mr. Lesser affirmed his view that there is an erosion of trust in the system, stating that perfectly reasonable people used to believe in the system, and they have now simply opted out, underlining that technology is a part of the equation and that traditional liberal elites have been slow to wake up to the challenges it poses. Ms. Diamantopoulou underscored her belief that history teaches us that democracy is more important and socially beneficial than authoritarianism, even if it is inefficient. Highlighting the issue of performance, Mr. Monti stated his belief in the notion of competition, emphasizing that political systems are at their best when they are under challenge, and at their worst when they are under monopolies, as has been the case in Europe since the end of the Soviet Union. He commented that the remarkable response that the E.U. is trying to give to Covid is influenced by the urgency posed by the threat of populist and sovereignist parties in Europe, adding that the traditional political families are now feeling the pinch and getting their act together. Mr. Lesser stated that some of this relies on a combination of personality and messages, adding that nationalism provides a very animating narrative for authoritarians. Ms. Diamantopoulou emphasized her belief that we are in a curve of history, stating that we need leaders with a new vision. Underlining that this will not be a fight between the existing liberal democracies and the existing authoritarian regimes, she proposed the start of a new phase of history in the Western world.

athensdemocracyforum.com CONVERSATION WHAT’S NEXT FOR CHINA?

Dr. Huiyao Wang, Founder and President, Center for China and Globalization With Keith Bradsher, Shanghai Bureau Chief, The New York Times

Keith Bradsher opened the session with the day’s big news about President Trump testing positive for Covid-19. Huiyao Wang stated that the virus initially caught China off guard and the whole country basically shut down, adding that the methodology of wearing masks, social distancing, quarantine and the use of big data in tracking combined with the collective sacrifice by individuals quickly brought the situation under control. He explained that 100 million people will be traveling in China for the Mid-Autumn Festival, highlighting that people are not wearing masks as much now, as there are no local cases; only imported cases are being detected. He suggested that China’s proven methodology should perhaps be applied elsewhere so that we can really contain this together, adding that no country is an isolated island. Responding to Mr. Bradsher’s question about the extent to which tactics such as forceful isolation and cell phone tracking are compatible with democracy, Dr. Wang highlighted that in Asian culture – not only in China, but also in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea – individualism gives way to collectivism to balance what is best for the whole society. He acknowledged that the Chinese people may have suffered in terms of individual rights but underlined that, in return, they have been given assurance, certainty, and good health, which perhaps makes this worthwhile in terms of the collective. He pointed out that many countries are currently experiencing a second wave, while China has got the virus under control with no new cases occurring. He conceded the importance of respecting data privacy and mentioned the eight proposals put forward by the Chinese government on dataflow and data management, adding that we have to maximize the benefit to jump-start the economy, but equally find a balance.

On China’s dual-circulation policy, Dr. Wang explained that Covid-19 has big lessons for all countries in terms of softening domestic and international demand. He stated that Chinese purchasing power has greatly increased as more people are lifted out of poverty and the middle class continues to grow, as well as through technology. Domestic demand is there, he said, so it makes sense to stimulate it. Using the

75 analogy of a bicycle where both wheels have to rotate to drive each other faster to reach the objective, he stated that that international circulation will only be helped by stronger domestic circulation. He emphasized that the basis of the global value chain that China has been building for four decades is not more China and less international, but more international with a strong China.

Turning to Hong Kong, Dr. Wang stated that since the return to China 23 years ago, the gap between mainland China and Hong Kong has really narrowed, advising that Hong Kong now represents just 2% of Chinese GDP. He said that the young people of Hong Kong feel neglected and may think there is no bright future for them, giving his opinion that they have legitimate reason to complain. On the other hand, he said, society also needs stability and law and order. He explained his view that legitimate, peaceful demonstration is okay, but highlighted that nobody was coming to Hong Kong when things descended into violence and chaos because they felt it was not safe anymore and it became a ghost town. He added that while some people favor an independent Hong Kong, this route is probably too advanced for China. He stated that Hong Kong had not implemented its own security law under Article 23 of its Basic Law, so the central government had to come up with the national security law, reinforcing that, since its implementation, Hong Kong is now safe to walk around and visitors are starting to come back. He reinforced that it is not an ideal situation and there is a price to pay, but emphasized that three million people in Hong Kong voted in favor of the national security law for the return of peace and security.

Responding to a delegate question about tensions between the U.S. and China, Dr. Wang stated that China was the first to sign the U.N. Charter, and affirmed his belief that the world’s two largest economies have a moral responsibility to lead the pandemic response. In terms of climate change, he warned that the world is burning, and we have to shift from mutually assured destruction to mutually assured dependency, as we are all in the same boat. He explained that the U.N. has been successful in avoiding World War III, but we should all unite and work multilaterally rather unilaterally against the worldwide virus, expressing his view that we need a new Bretton Woods moment to strengthen the U.N., the W.H.O. and the W.T.O. On the forthcoming U.S. elections, Dr. Wang expressed his personal view that if President Trump is re-elected, phase two and phase three of the trade deal will probably go ahead because he has a business background, although he expressed

athensdemocracyforum.com concern about the very hawkish advisors surrounding him. He stated that Biden has a lot of international experience and, if elected, he will reassert U.S. leadership and pursue multilateralism through more platforms and channels to talk, so we may have more dialogue rather than confrontation. He highlighted that we are entering a world recession and underlined the importance of solving disputes in a peaceful manner, suggesting that the E.U. could play a bigger role in mediating, perhaps in some kind of trilateral arrangement with a focus on civilized discussion.

Dr. Wang highlighted that Xinjiang was plagued by rampant terrorism 10 or 15 years ago, stating that the Chinese government has probably taken some measures to address that. He acknowledged that there may be some problems, but he is puzzled by where the numbers are coming from, and emphasized that Xinjiang is booming in terms of GDP and there has not been a single terrorist incident in five years.

Mr. Bradsher highlighted the U.S. government’s concern about the transfer of tech- nology and its scrutiny of scholars returning to China after studying or working in the West. Dr. Wang stated the U.S. is a magnet for attracting talent from all over the world, and emphasized that China is a net talent loser, because 80% of Ph.D. students in the science and technology area going to the U.S. stay there, helping to generate enormous innovation for the U.S. He stated that this trend is not healthy for China, and commented that he would like to see more students from the U.S. com- ing to China, underlining the importance of people-to-people and student-to-student exchanges in building a bridge between the two countries and their companies.

77 athensdemocracyforum.com PANEL DISCUSSION TECHNOLOGY AND THE FUTURE OF DEMOCRACY

Yuval Noah Harari, Historian and Professor Brad Smith, President of Microsoft Kristen Davis, Founder and C.E.O., CinqC and Advisor, Sentinel.ai

Moderated by Alexis Papahelas, Executive Editor, Kathemerini

Responding to Alexis Papahelas’s question on whether democracy is under threat at the moment, Yuval Noah Harari explained that we should always be careful to preserve democracy, emphasizing that technology represents a completely new threat that enables the creation of new totalitarian regimes and digital dictatorships, which for the first time in history, can monitor all of the people all of the time. Equally, he cautioned, it is possible for an outside system to know me better than I know myself, adding that Stalin could never achieve this, but now it is possible. Brad Smith stated that the tech companies have a huge responsibility and a significant role to play, underscoring that technology is agnostic, in the sense that it will be used for good or ill depending on the people applying it. He suggested that George Orwell should have entitled his book “2024” instead of “1984,” in terms of the capability to apply the mass surveillance that he envisioned, but in ways that he could not have imagined, which is a very dangerous proposition. Kristen Davis emphasized the tendency to look back at the older bastions of democracy and the institutions that were founded decades ago. She illustrated how public services and institutions in Estonia are being recreated and reimagined using technology to create a more empowered citizenship, adding that we are not looking far enough at some of the ideas and practices that are already out there.

Mr. Smith affirmed his belief that there has never been an industry that has successfully regulated itself in the history of business, cautioning that we will never live in a world where every government has a complete regulatory model that conforms with human rights standards, so we need companies to act responsibly and we need governments to catch up. Mr. Harari said he expects companies to do more but acknowledged that ultimately it is the responsibility of government, adding that nobody is doing enough. He stated that conspiracy theories have always

79 been around, and new technologies simply represent a new way to spread them. He explained that conspiracy theories are appealing because they are simple and flattering, whereas the truth is complicated and painful. Looking at the current U.S. elections, he stated that a politician who tells the electorate the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth about the U.S. and its history has a 100 percent guarantee of losing the elections.

Ms. Davis highlighted the work of Sentinel.ai to detect deepfakes to protect media and democracy, stating that in addition to working with government and corporates, they want to be out there educating the public. She explained that this requires a specific mind-set of putting yourself in somebody else’s shoes, and stated that many of the youth and citizenship organizations are coming at some of the democratic challenges with this mind-set, which is healthier than the top-down approach adopted by some governments and institutions that are working only with the larger tech companies. Mr. Smith explained that technology or the media of the time has been used by leaders to connect more broadly with the people they represent, giving the examples of the telegraph’s role in Abraham Lincoln’s election in 1860 and Franklin Roosevelt’s use of radio, whereas John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan both mastered the art of television and Donald Trump used social media very well in 2016.

Commenting that doctors cannot start their medical careers without undertaking some kind of ethical training, Mr. Harari argued that computer engineers are among the most important people shaping the world today, and asked whether Microsoft has an ethics course built in. Mr. Smith stated that Microsoft defined six ethical principles around A.I. in 2018 and has been building a system of training engineers and identifying engineering practices. He said that he is encouraged to see a convergence around a set of ethical principles across the globe, but acknowledged that this is a first step, and predicted that, by 2030, he does not think it will be possible to graduate and get a computer science degree without taking some kind of ethics course, as these people want to serve the world, not just build code. Mr. Harari insisted that we cannot wait ten years, reinforcing that Microsoft could just take the decision now to only accept graduates who have undertaken ethics training. Mr. Smith conceded that the company could adopt a policy whereby graduates cannot work with Microsoft for more than six months if they do not take an in-house ethics course.

athensdemocracyforum.com Responding to Mr. Papahelas’s question on the best books for computer engineers to read, Mr. Harari listed “Weapons of Math Destruction” by Cathy O’Neil and “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism” by Shoshana Zuboff, as well as Plato and Aristotle among the classics, emphasizing that the questions, which for thousands of years belonged to the philosophy department, are now migrating to the computer science department. He stated that the engineers cannot wait for the philosophers, adding that it is more than having just a few A.I. ethics principles; it is about learning to think philosophically and ethically about different problems, adding that it is the job of government to legislate in the same way that doctors have to take courses before they can see patients. Ms. Davis stated that the call for regulation is coming from all sides, stating that Mr. Smith initially started talking about a Digital Geneva convention in 2017. Mr. Smith emphasized the need for new international norms, for democracies to step forward, and for governments to recognize that they are the first and last lines of not only defense, but also responsibility in addressing these issues. He explained that coming up with a set of principles is just the beginning and highlighted the importance of recognizing that technology development is now a multidisciplinary exercise incorporating the influences of the liberal arts, adding that we all need to catch up with what we did not study and bring it into businesses and into government. Ms. Davis agreed that education now needs to be a lifelong learning process because technology is changing so fast, highlighting that the over 65s share disinformation seven times more often than the rest of the population. Mr. Smith explained that the climate today is vastly different from 27 years ago when he started at Microsoft, emphasizing that it is no longer possible to ignore Washington, D.C., and that the company now strives to be principled and has to be prepared to turn down business opportunities when there is conflict.

Mr. Harari expressed his concern that, when we look back, the thing people will remember about the Covid crisis is that this was the moment when everything went digital and everything was monitored, including surveillance under the skin. He outlined hacking human beings as the big process that is happening right now, highlighting that the three revolutions around computer science, infotech and the biological sciences are about to merge around the biometric sensor, which converts biological data into digital data that can be analyzed by computers. Describing this as the biggest game-changer of all, he stated that the future Stalins of the 21st century might be watching the minds and brains of the whole population in the worst

81 totalitarian regime in history, warning that Covid legitimizes some of the crucial steps toward this, even in democratic countries. Ms. Davis expressed her view that Covid has been a temperature check for trust, highlighting skepticism around the contact tracing apps that many governments have tried to put into place. She explained that, after Cambridge Analytica, people do not trust their governments enough around data and data surveillance, even when their lives are at stake. Mr. Smith stated that Covid track-and-trace technology is being used by authoritarian regimes to put more controls in place and, even in democracies, the data privacy issues around this are not getting the full public debate that they deserve. Acknowledging that Europe has led the way on privacy laws since the 1980s, he underlined the need for a blueprint on how to protect privacy while protecting public health in a way that is consistent with fundamental freedoms.

In closing, Mr. Papahelas asked panelists what we should do in practical terms to defend democracy. Ms. Davis highlighted the hackathon concept to inspire citizen engagement with the problems facing democracy, perhaps building a new iteration of Davos to bring together the new thinkers and the new talkers and ultimately empowering the new doers. Mr. Smith stated that the tech companies need to move faster on the types of tools that will protect democracy, adding that if democracy dies then it will die in separate silos, and if it flourishes it will do so by countries doing more together. He affirmed his belief that whether it is a virus or carbon that knows no borders, we need people to vote for leaders who will bring the world’s democracies together in a united way to address global challenges. Mr. Harari said that he would like to see the development of an antivirus for the mind similar to those that protect our computers from being hacked. He added that he would also like engineers to work on balancing the surveillance equation as we need tools to fight government corruption; not just the citizens, but those in the service of the citizens.

athensdemocracyforum.com PANEL DISCUSSION THE POWER OF BELIEF

Margaritis Schinas, Vice President, European Commission Archbishop Nikitas, Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Great Britain Fatima Zaman, Advocate, Kofi Annan Foundation

Moderated by Farah Nayeri, Culture Writer, The New York Times

Ms. Nayeri commented that religion is always topical, and it never goes out of fashion. Archbishop Nikitas said we have to listen carefully to what God says because, too often, even as religions leaders, we listen to ourselves rather than the clear message of God, which can be summed up in love, peace, goodness harmony, tranquility and other positive aspects of life, no matter the faith or tradition. Citing the Hebrew scriptures in the book of Judges, he explained that God may raise judges these days to lead and guide the people, but a lot of individuals raise themselves up and lead the people in the wrong direction, adding that the truth of God also comes through democracy and hearing the voices of the people. He stated that, whether or not you believe in God, you can still espouse and accept the same virtuous qualities in life, adding that any person with reason, logic, tradition, understanding or values – even if they are cultural values – will say that we have to work for good, and our responsibility, whether we are atheist, Muslims, Christians or Hindus is to make the world a better place than when we found it so that the next generation has examples of people who labored for goodness and truth.

Responding to Ms. Nayeri’s question about reconciling faith with the complicated reality that religion can be used to justify violence and destructive actions, Fatima Zaman described herself as a bit of a hybrid, explaining that she is British, Muslim and South Asian, and those three identities born into her have been at odds with one another for a long time. Calling herself a modern Muslim, she stated that she truly believes that faith is an integral part of modern societies and an integral part of democratic societies. As a Muslim working in countering violent extremism, she stated that she has seen the light that religion offers and the dark side, citing those who politicize religion and peddle it to achieve violent means. She framed her view in terms of the constant struggle where faith or religion is pulled by forces of good

83 and evil, stating her belief that young people need to engage with faith and interfaith dialogue to drown out the evil and dark voices.

Margaritis Schinas commented that, in Europe, everybody fought everybody else for centuries on everything basically, adding that there were so many cleavages, and the religious cleavage obviously was a central part of this conflict. Describing the European Union as the world epicenter of peaceful existence, he explained that one of the things that we have managed to do well is to blend our identities, our values and our diversity into a single project of communality. He described how, over the years, what we now call the Charter of Fundamental Rights found a way to reflect all this in what constitutes a corpus of values that we can all share, emphasizing that Europe is not a bulldozer for imposing our own values and beliefs on everybody else, but a mirror that reflects the diversity of our religions, ways of life, arts, language, culture and history. He affirmed that Article 17 introduces a regular dialogue with the churches and religions of the E.U. and the European institutions on the issues of the day, which gives us strength because different contributions reinforce the sense of communality. Mr. Schinas stated that the financial crisis exacerbated inequalities and alienated many people from politics, and lamented that the E.U. faces racism, xenophobia, hate speech, intolerance, anti-Semitism and also Islamophobia. He reinforced that we will not tolerate these voices, adding that, as the economy improves and as we manage to find collective ways of responding to major crises, these voices are being weakened because the best antidotes to these phenomena are good policies.

Ms. Zaman respectfully disagreed with Mr. Schinas that the E.U. is a home where different religions are currently co-existing peacefully, stating that this is not the lived reality that she has faced in parts of Europe, and invited him to walk the streets of Europe leaving the safety of the diplomatic community of Brussels behind. Mr. Schinas reinforced that the E.U. is a union of democracies where the rights of minorities are protected under constitutional arrangements and community law, where universal systems for health and education cover everybody, and where the role of women is safeguarded in the family, in society and in the workplace. He stated that, frankly, to be accused of intolerance in Europe today is mind-blowing. Ms. Zaman insisted that Mr. Schinas must acknowledge that intolerance exists in Europe, stating that he can quote constitutional arrangements, but these do not necessarily exist in the lived experiences of people of color, people of faith and

athensdemocracyforum.com minority groups. Mr. Schinas conceded that there is an issue of implementation on the ground, which is not something that can be done from Brussels, but reaffirmed that we should continue to strive for an understanding of each other. Ms. Zaman expressed her opinion that religion is hyper-politicized in the lived experience of many young people around the world. She proscribed bringing it back to the idea of faith in terms of common values, common ideals and common leadership that stands for peace, equality, justice and fraternity to depoliticize faith and religion to bring different groups of people together and build harmony.

Archbishop Nikitas lamented that we fear “the other,” emphasizing that religious leaders are supposed to guide people to build bridges of understanding, cooperation and partnership rather than walls, and say put down your swords and weapons and, as the scripture says, build them into plowshares. Referencing “Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics” by The Times’s Ross Douthat, Ms. Nayeri said the author talks about how Christianity is falling by the wayside while people like Oprah Winfrey, Elizabeth Gilbert and Eckhart Tolle are occupying the ground that official religion used to occupy. Archbishop Nikitas quoted the phrase that everyone uses: “I’m spiritual, I’m not religious,” stating that people want spirituality in their own way in accordance with what suits them. He stated that this is not the way, adding that it depends on the faith tradition, but it all comes down to truth, values, acceptance, and love.

85 TALKS TWO VISIONS FOR EUROPE

Mária Schmidt, Historian and Director General of the House of Terror Museum, Budapest

Mária Schmidt stated that Europe's future will depend on its ability to face the grave and unresolved problems of the present, around which she feels there is no vision and no strategic thinking by the European elite. Highlighting that E.U. member states have different interpretations of the past and of the present, which will inevitably lead to divergences in hopes for the future, she outlined the two possible paths for Europe’s future: the first, a European Union based on nation states; and the second, a United States of Europe based on an empire led by Germany.

Describing the uncertainty surrounding the trans-Atlantic relationship whereby the United States has guaranteed Europe's security since 1945, Ms. Schmidt questioned what Europe would do without the security umbrella of the U.S. and the extent to which the E.U.’s important role on the world stage could be maintained if its security cannot be guaranteed, emphasizing the need for an autonomous defense policy. On the issue of enlargement, she suggested that the E.U. should take steps now if it intends to incorporate the Balkan countries, the Ukraine, and possibly even Russia. She outlined the Russian question as a particularly important element for the future of the E.U., stating that if Russia is not part of Europe, then a Sino-Russian alliance might be established, or Russia may forge closer relations with the U.S. or Germany.

Ms. Schmidt explained her concerns surrounding the German leadership of the E.U. in terms of the huge loan program, which will impact member states in the near term as well as future generations. She stated that Germany is very strong economically, but very weak in security terms, expressing her concern that countries opposed to Germany’s dominant position may again take steps against it in light of Germany’s attempts to take leadership over Europe in the 20th century, which resulted in two world wars.

Ms. Schmidt described a number of issues faced by the E.U. that remain unresolved since the financial crisis, specifically the economic divergences between the North European countries and the South European countries, which were caused, in her

athensdemocracyforum.com opinion, by the euro; and divergences in relation to the 2015 migration crisis, insisting that a compromise seems impossible because it is not about money, but about values, culture, historical experiences, emancipation and identity. She explained that, contrary to the Western European experience, the Eastern European countries did not colonize the whole world, but emerged in 1990 after being colonized under the Soviet empire and successfully created independent, sovereign nation states, which they wish to maintain. She emphasized that, after 30 years, the countries of the West still refer to the countries of the East as the “new democracies,” and after 16 years of E.U. membership they are still called “new member states,” which demonstrates that they are not viewed as equal partners in their club. She stated that Western Europe needs to understand that the shared experiences of living under Communism for 45 years is the basis of mutual understanding in Central and Eastern Europe, adding that they have their own value system, and they refuse to take lectures from the Western European elite, who never want to ask questions, but only want to tell them how to behave and what to do.

Ms. Schmidt expressed that the E.U. bureaucracy has once again proved useless in the face of the pandemic, emphasizing that actions were predominantly taken at the national level. She also highlighted the E.U.’s weakness in having to turn to China to obtain protective equipment, face masks and ventilators, adding that she hopes the E.U. will come to its senses and ensure that the things we need are produced in Europe rather than outsourcing production.

She emphasized the importance of abandoning the utopian dream of a United States of Europe under German leadership and Western domination, maintaining instead that we should settle for using the principal of the smallest common denominator. She suggested following the example of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy from 1867 until 1918, with shared responsibilities limited to defense and foreign policy. In closing, she said we should enjoy the common market, but part with the moral and cultural imperialism in order to move forward.

87 TALKS TWO VISIONS FOR EUROPE

Alice Bah Kuhnke, Member of the European Parliament, European Union

Alice Bah Kuhnke stated that the hardship and tragedy caused by Covid-19 has also given us a unique opportunity to kick-start the transition towards a climate- neutral economy and address the growing social and economic inequalities that have been reinforced by the pandemic, emphasizing that this is the moment to ensure that government spending and investments reflect our priorities and values as enshrined in the European Charter of Fundamental Rights. She framed her vision for Europe as a union based on the principles of solidarity and a sustainable future, where we act in solidarity with the planet we have been given and in solidarity with all people, regardless of gender, sexuality, identity and race. She also highlighted the importance of a working democracy based on the rule of law and grounded in the principles and values enshrined in our treaties, not on tweets and populistic propaganda.

Calling attention to some of the battles we are fighting, Ms. Bah Kuhnke stated that we must move beyond the nice words of the European Green Deal and the commitments made in the Paris Agreement toward streamlined policy areas. We have to be brave enough to listen to the science and act accordingly, she said. She described how our young citizens are ready for change, but they are waiting for the political system to deliver a sustainable future according to the treaties and the Paris Agreement.

Describing European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s attack on LGBTQI-free zones in Poland, Ms. Bah Kuhnke highlighted another battle concerning the right to be who you are, adding that this is never your ideology, it is your identity. She stressed that we cannot accept authoritarian leaders who do not respect the rights of the LGBTQI people, and we must do everything we can to prevent member states form sliding into autocracy, adding that we must continue to fight for a union of equality and diversity. Describing the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd as a catalyst for demands for change, she said, there can be no room for hatred, racism and discrimination in this union. Quoting Martin Luther King, who said, “a riot is the language of the unheard,” she declared it is time that we listen, and insisted

athensdemocracyforum.com that we adopt the antidiscrimination directive that has been blocked in the Council of Ministers since 2008.

Ms. Bah Kuhnke also expressed her disbelief that, in this day and age, men still think they have the right to decide over women's bodies and expose them to abuse and suffering, underscoring that freedom from violence is a basic human right, but yet it remains controversial. She stated that we have to defend the autonomy and ability of women and girls to make free and independent decisions about their bodies and their lives, and described how the pandemic has left many women at home with their abusers, resulting in national helplines being flooded with calls. She pleaded with us to answer their calls by taking a clear stance and pushing for every member state to ratify the Istanbul Convention, adding that this is not only our legal duty, but also our moral duty.

She declared that, unlike many politicians, she does not want Budapest in Brussels, stating that we must protect our true European values of humanity, solidarity and diversity. She cautioned that the E.U. is currently witnessing a backlash against these values and against democracy, but insisted that our common European values are not negotiable, emphasizing that the European Commission must firmly stand up as the guardian of the treaties. There can be no compromise, she said, stating that this is the kind of Europe she would like to pass on to our children.

89 BESPOKE CONVERSATION ONLINE INFORMATION AND RESPONSIBLE INNOVATION Sponsored by Google

Kent Walker, Senior Vice President of Global Affairs, Google With Nikos Efstathiou, Journalist, Kathimerini

Mr. Walker stated that the pandemic has given Google the opportunity to do some good in the world, emphasizing the use of A.I. to identify bad content online while promoting authoritative content from health authorities, the company’s $250 million to the W.H.O., national governments, health authorities and nonprofits, and its partnership with Apple to come up with a privacy-protective exposure notification tool, as well as community mobility reports for public health authorities and other initiatives aimed at supporting small businesses.

Highlighting the explosion in online content, Mr. Walker explained that more information has been stored in the last 20 years than all of human history combined, which creates more opportunities for people to learn and work, as well as new challenges. Pointing to the larger historical example, he highlighted that society responds in important ways every time there is a new form of communication technology, from the printing press and the rise of the post office enabling people to communicate and exchange radical ideas, to the rise of demagogues with radio and narrowcasting and filter bubbles through television. Each time new technologies come along, he said, we need to develop new social norms and new rules of the road to balance these new capabilities, but at the same time innovate in responsible ways.

Mr. Efstathiou stated that the pandemic was also an accelerator of change causing a digital transformation in multiple countries around the world, including Greece. Mr. Walker said it has been great to see the Greek government’s new e-governance bill and real commitment to being what it calls a “cloud-first” country, giving people access to new opportunities to learn new things. He outlined Google’s contribution in terms of building on its data-storage expertise and expanding its cloud efforts to help businesses that are struggling. He explained that around one in six firms has gone out of business as a result of the pandemic in the U.S., highlighting Google’s focus on building back better by working with its partners and listening to governments to find out what people need.

athensdemocracyforum.com Responding to Mr. Efstathiou’s comment that technological change is faster than governments can cope with, Mr. Walker expressed his view that the private sector is more flexible and traditionally moves faster, highlighting the swift pivot to the development of a vaccine in the pharmaceutical industry. He explained that, while governments want checks and balances and good democratic processes, they are also seeing the advantages of digitization to lift up all citizens. He stated that the public sector is one of the fastest-growing parts of Google’s business, adding that new people coming into government are accustomed to the tools they used in school and the private sector, and they are a key driver for change and helping governments to become more nimble. Highlighting the need for balance, he stated that government has to regulate responsibly, but the desire to future-proof can cut off innovation.

Mr. Efstathiou highlighted that one of the biggest impacts beyond health in terms of the economic downturn, during which a number of tech companies have seen their profits soar with the move to digitization. Mr. Walker emphasized the role that technology has played in enabling some parts of the economy to continue because of remote working, online shopping and home entertainment. He said we have seen more change in five months than the last five years, highlighting that this access to information is one of the biggest changes of our generation. He also described how more than half of the world’s population has access to an internet connection, which is arguably more people than have access to decent sanitation. Emphasizing that a pupil in India has the same access to information as a professor at Oxford, he put forth his view that this is a remarkable state of affairs that has never been true before. Citing McKinsey & Company’s recent report that 60 million jobs are now at risk in Europe alone, he highlighted the recent “Grow Greece with Google” initiative which is helping to support the recovery by offering free training and tools to small and medium-size enterprises and working with the Greek government on a digital skills internships program. He underlined that Google wants people to learn and be motivated to learn, to help things turn around.

Responding to Mr. Efstathiou’s point about the importance of skills transfer and the digital skill set, Mr. Walker stated that, with the basic tools, people who are at a lower level can learn digital skills in months to become productive, contributing workers. He described Google’s IT certificates, currently available in the U.S., whereby people can qualify to be an IT support professional and use that certificate in lieu of a

91 college degree to get a job, but he underlined that there is no “one size fits all” approach. Describing how education systems are switching to distance learning and how kids on the wrong side of the digital divide could really fall behind, he outlined a number of initiatives Google is supporting to help underserved children pursue schooling without having it disrupted by the pandemic. In relation to climate change, he highlighted some of Google’s key accomplishments, but stated that the company’s biggest contribution could well be in progressing and advancing the technologies that could transform energy consumption.

Mr. Walker expressed his view that there has always been this dance of technology and democracy. He explained that technology is the engine of progress in raising living standards around the world, emphasizing that over a billion people have come out of extreme poverty over the last 30 years, which he claims is in part due to the broad spread of technology in life-changing ways. If technology is the engine, he said, then democracy is the rudder of progress. He stated that the tech companies have to work with governments so that checks and balances are in place with regard to new trends, emphasizing that building social trust is the key to letting technology flourish in a way that helps everybody. He stated that, with services in over 120 countries, Google has to be both local and global, and the variance can be valuable in some ways, but also challenging. Emphasizing the importance of ensuring that information is universally accessible, he described Google’s decision to pull its search engine out of mainland China because it was unwilling to comply with the government’s censorship rules.

In closing, Mr. Walker agreed with Mr. Efstathiou that 2020 has brought some degree of pessimism, but stated that, looking back at the long sweep of progress since the industrial revolution, he is optimistic that this can continue, by working together with companies, N.G.O.s and governments.

athensdemocracyforum.com CONVERSATION NEW FRONTIERS FOR DIGITAL DEMOCRACY

Audrey Tang, Member, the Executive Yuan Council With Nathan Gardels, Co-Founder and Senior Advisor, Berggruen Institute

Nathan Gardels framed the discussion by stating that democracy across the West is in various stages of implosion, highlighting that U.S. is in the midst of a bitter civil and cultural civil war driven by the participatory power of social media, which he believes only deepens divisions. He suggested that a way out of this polarization is to invite broader civil society into governance through new institutions that enable negotiation and compromise to reach consensus. He stated that mending the breach of distrust between government and the public in this way can be called participation without populism, which involves integrating social networks and more direct democracy into the system to complement representative government. He commented that, since social networks have drawn more players into the political fray than ever before, the need for a counterbalance of impartial institutions to sort out the cacophony of voices, the welter of conflicting interests and the deluge of contested information has never been greater. Borrowing a phrase from the Covid crisis, he commented that deliberative democracy is an anti-inflammatory therapeutic for the body politic. Highlighting recent examples of the Irish civil assembly on abortion and the French Citizens’ Convention on Climate assembled in the wake of the “Gilets Jaunes” movement, he described how both took into account the views of the average citizen and showed that consensus can be reached, even on the most controversial and flammable issues. In the wake of the pandemic, he said, everything will have to adapt, including deliberative democracy.

Highlighting Audrey Tang’s position on the frontier of online deliberation, Mr. Gardels invited her to explain what she does and also the impact on Taiwan. She outlined that the system in Taiwan aims to make deliberative democracy fast, clear and fun, emphasizing the role of the PTT, a social, nonprofit institution of the National Taiwan University run by volunteers as an online discussion forum and a breaking-news source. Using the example of a PTT post on the outbreak of a new SARS virus in Wuhan in December 2019 as an example, she demonstrated on a tablet how medical officers responded to the post by starting to undertake health inspections

93 for passengers arriving on incoming flights from Wuhan the very next day. She explained that Taiwan is the only place in Asia that has a completely open civil society where people can speak openly and basically “triage” the evidence posted, and added that the swift response of Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Center in setting up a toll-free number for people to call for real-time responses to Covid also demonstrates trust in this collective intelligence. She gave a further example when 6,000 pharmacies across Taiwan agreed in February to participate in an app providing details of real- time mask availability, opening hours and location to avoid the need for people to queue in line.

Quoting President Tsai Ing-wen who said, “before, democracy was a showdown between two opposing values, but now democracy is a conversation between many diverse values,” Ms. Tang highlighted a number of initiatives that have been undertaken, including the Presidential Hackathon, in which people across the country are free to propose anything in what forms a Data Collaborative. She explained that the top five teams receive a virtual trophy from the president, accompanied by confirmation that their proposals, which must align with the Sustainable Development Goals, will become national policy within the next 12 months, including budget, personnel and regulatory commitments. She also highlighted an A.I.-powered conversation called Polis, which was first used in 2015 as a pro-social media interface enabling people to share their feelings when the country first deliberated about UberX. Once again demonstrating how it works on her tablet, she emphasized that this level of engagement was largely missing, and Polis is now a key policy-making instrument. Revealing the visual shape of a consensus cluster whereby the most divisive issues generate less agreement and less feedback, she outlined the importance of focusing on those issues that generate consensus and use this as a measure of progress to innovate on common values. Mr. Gardels said that there is no space for discussion

athensdemocracyforum.com or compromise in the ongoing battle around Uber and Lyft drivers in California. Ms. Tang explained that in Taiwan, the debate focused on the basis of fairness in terms of insurance, registration, and not undercutting existing meters. She stated that Uber threatened to quit, but because the consensus was fairly strong, the company realized it had no other choice.

Ms. Tang summarized that the legislature passes the draft prepared by the administration, adding that the administration is a largely nonpartisan space where there are more independent ministers, herself included, than members of any particular political party. She stated that they work in such a way as to not only be accountable to their constituents, but also to future generations when they talk about climate impacts and so on. Commenting that party dynamics are at play, she explained that there are currently four major parties in the Taiwanese Parliament, and when they are preparing drafts they demonstrate how they discovered the stakeholders and defined the common values to show Parliament that the draft has the support of the social norm. She stated that the legislature is not bound to pass the drafts just because there is consensus, but the administration is bound to provide a point-by-point response.

Responding to the question posed by Mr. Gardels on the extent to which this process works for really controversial issues, Ms. Tang highlighted the role of participation officers, explaining that the point is not to convince people, but to ensure that those who have attended the deliberative sessions can reach a rough consensus and take this back to their communities, adding that if the consensus reached does not spread, then it has no impact on society. She described how the theory of overlapping consensus on the right to artificial reproduction for single mothers enabled both sides to reach a rough consensus that placed the equal rights of children born into nontraditional families at the center of the discussion. She explained that when the marriage equality law was passed, it was agreed that when same-sex couples wed, their families do not magically become in-laws, highlighting that this took the positions of both sides and created a common value in terms of the rights of the families, which demonstrates that deliberation is not just about reaching compromises but also to reach innovation as well.

Mr. Gardels apologized that time had run out, and told Ms. Tang that we are all looking to Taiwan as a template for the rest of us.

95 PANEL DISCUSSION FROM PROTESTS TO POLITICS

Oleksandra Ustinova, Ukraine MP and former anti-corruption activist Farida Nabourema, Writer, Political Activist and Executive Director, Togolese Civil League Nathan Law, Activist and Politician Khalil Osiris, Founder, Truth & Reconciliation Conversations

Moderated by Alison Smale, Journalist and Former Under Secretary General for Global Communications, United Nations

Nathan Law stated that the prolonged movement in Hong Kong has been silenced because of the Covid situation and the draconian national security law implemented three months ago, adding that 10,000 protesters have been arrested with hundreds facing years of imprisonment. He stated that people are laying low and trying to think of new ways to protest and gain international attention by ramping up pressure towards the Chinese government. He explained that international consensus across political aisles seems to be more critical of the Chinese government in relation to its gross human rights violations, but cautioned that, at the same time, Chinese expansion and control has become more and more prominent. He stated that the fight for Hong Kong's democracy has to rely on a combination of local protests and international pressure in order to comprehensively change China’s heavy-handed tactics toward Hong Kong, but added that he still has hope and faith in Hong Kong’s democracy.

Turning to Togo, Farida Nabourema commented that the country is ruled by the oldest military regime in Africa, and explained that Gnassingbé Eyadéma was in power from 1967 until he died in 2005, at which point his son Faure Gnassingbé took over as president. She stated that, for the last 15 years, the people of Togo have been organizing at different levels to demand change and democracy, and some of those campaigns have yielded certain results. She emphasized that for the last few years, the majority of campaigns have focused on demanding the departure of Faure. She described how, in 2011, she joined with other comrades to end the dictatorship in Togo, using online tools to communicate with people and mobilize the

athensdemocracyforum.com community. She explained that the government invested heavily on surveillance and managed to infiltrate the platforms, arresting many activists and forcing others into exile. She stated that, despite these efforts and hundreds of thousands of Togolese people taking to the streets, they have still not achieved the desired result, adding that, on the contrary, the government has in fact managed to consolidate power and has blocked the rights of citizens to protest.

Oleksandra Ustinova expressed her view that Ukraine was probably one of the protest pioneers in the region after the Revolution of Dignity in 2014 and highlighted the similarities between what her country fought for six years ago and the protests in Belarus, adding that she hopes Belarus will achieve this without losing so many lives. She commented that although Ukraine is more of a democracy now, the government is taking advantage of Covid by applying different rules to various forms of social gatherings, and people are not allowed to gather in the street to oppose the government or the passing of any new laws.

Responding to Ms. Smale’s question on the Black Lives Matter movement following the murder of George Floyd, Khalil Osiris expressed his opinion that the response showed clear evidence that the kinds of injustices historically experienced by Black people in America resonated with people of color everywhere. He explained that the marches, protests and activism have been documented as the largest mass movement in human history, with around 20 to 30 million people around the world responding. He stated that America is expected to be minority white by the year 2045, and already is in terms of the youth population, highlighting this as a dynamic that has caused many more people to join the movement.

Mr. Law explained that Hong Kong has been fighting for democracy for over 30 years, based on the promise made by Beijing in the ’80s and when the handover took place in 1997. He framed the struggle in Hong Kong as an appeal to garner global support against inequality and injustice, and highlighted the importance of building a trend that is surrounded by the narrative of shared values and basic human rights. He explained that organized demonstrations have to be complemented by spontaneous protests because of the surveillance and heavy-handed police oppression in order to create a greater impact.

97 Turning to Khabarovsk in southeastern Russia, Ms. Ustinova predicted that there will be more anti-Kremlin movements in Siberia in years to come, due to the increasing awareness, through technology, of poverty and inequality. She stated that, in Belarus, people knew that Lukashenko was lying when he said there was no Covid, yet people were dying. Losing money because of corruption is one thing, she said, but losing your family and friends when the government is doing nothing about it is a different matter.

Mr. Osiris stated that we are in a period where we are able to communicate with people and their struggles around the world in real time. He stated that it is not necessarily the intent of protest movements to enter indirectly into mainstream politics, and highlighted the unsuccessful effort by the Black Panther Party for Self- Defense in the late ’60s to go from a vanguard movement to a mass movement, commenting that the organization ultimately became part of a global movement for human rights and justice.

Ms. Ustinova said that the support of other people in other countries was crucial, especially during the worst times in Maidan when they were terrified and being shot. She stated that the display of solidarity gave their movement wings, and highlighted that they were not only fighting for their own rights in Ukraine, but for freedom for everybody, everywhere. Mr. Law expressed his belief that, for decades, the world has misjudged China by assuming that it would democratize. He stated that the Chinese government now has many more methods for infiltrating other democracies in the digital age, and emphasized that we have to be aware of the dangers that China poses to our democratic system and our shared values. He highlighted the need for a change in the rhetoric and narrative rather than strategic partnerships in the so- called “golden era” of Sino-British relations.

athensdemocracyforum.com CLOSING CONVERSATION

Juan Guaidó, President of the Venezuelan National Assembly With Roger Cohen, Athens Democracy Forum Host and Op-Ed Columnist, The New York Times

Mr. Guaidó stated that events like mass protests in 2019 are very important for the fight for democracy in Venezuela and throughout the world. He stated that the Maduro regime is recognized by certain international entities, including the United Nations, adding that the country finds itself in a certain quagmire given the context of oppression, which principally concerns the people of Venezuela but also affects the entire international community. Referencing the major movements this year and last, he said that many countries around the world are fighting against authoritarian regimes, and explained that, while 90% of the Venezuelan population reject Nicolás Maduro and see him as a dictator, the armed forces spiral around him, adding that the regime is not a single individual, but a conglomeration of Maduro and the army. He emphasized that they have to continue the fight to try to win hearts and minds across all sections of society, including the armed forces, in order to achieve democracy and stability in the country. He stated that external parties and entities that support the Maduro regime are complicit in the violation of human rights, adding that the controversies and conflicts that have developed between various different entities have led to great instability in the region and entrenched the positions of these authoritarian figures in power. He underscored the complexity of the situation, emphasizing the need to mobilize and engage at the national and international levels.

Roger Cohen described the E.U.’s recent efforts to salvage the legislative elections scheduled for December, which have been dismissed by Elliot Abrams, the U.S. special representative for Venezuela, as cowboy diplomacy. Mr. Guaidó highlighted the conditions that need to be in place in order for the parliamentary and presidential elections to take place in an effective fashion in terms of no political prisoners, no torture, and no human rights violations, as well as arbitration, if necessary, and an electoral commission. He explained that there is no popular support for the Maduro regime, highlighting the importance of real elections and not the legitimization of the dictatorship through pseudo-elections. He stated the elections will be taking place under a dictatorship, emphasizing that the approach has to be very delicate, ensuring

99 that the proper conditions are in place for elections to take place in a democratic fashion. In response to Mr. Cohen’s question on the extent to which the E.U. mission was useful, Mr. Guaidó reiterated that, if the five aforementioned conditions are met and the E.U. is working together with the country along these lines, then those first steps to democracy can be undertaken with legitimate elections. Highlighting how easily the 2019 elections were hijacked and reinforcing the current regime’s disinclination to engage in dialogue, he said that the E.U., the U.S. and the O.A.S. all have to play an effective role, and expressed his belief that everyone is now heading in the right direction toward legitimate elections.

On Maduro’s decision to release over 100 opposition politicians, Mr. Guaidó stated that the strategy that has been adopted by Maduro government is not unfamiliar, and a number of other regimes have made similar conciliatory gestures or simulacra, but underlined that over 300 political prisoners are still being detained, amid verifiable testimonies that individuals have been tortured. He stated that the struggle for democracy has to make clear that all political prisoners are released and not just a handful, reiterating once again the need to adhere to the five conditions to facilitate an electoral process that will lead to true democracy as a political and social solution for the entire country.

Commenting on President Trump’s apparent disrespect for American democracy, Mr. Cohen asked Mr. Guaidó how much faith he personally places in Trump’s strong advocacy of democracy in Venezuela. Mr. Guaidó stated they have been working together with the Trump Administration and with the two houses of Congress on issues such as freedom of expression and human rights as part of “democracy with all the trimmings,” and underlined the importance of strengthening participation and understanding on both continents. Restating that Venezuela is a dictatorship, he expressed his view that it is very difficult to make any comparisons between the U.S. and the rotting structures in Venezuela. He outlined the role of citizens in the power process as the cornerstone of democracy, which is completely nonexistent in Venezuela.

Responding to Mr. Cohen’s question about the resurgence of nationalism and authoritarianism around the world, Mr. Guaidó gave the example of Venezuela as a country where the positive aspects – its structures, considerable natural resources and great wealth – have been undermined by authoritarian poison. He stated that

athensdemocracyforum.com a mixture of populism, the undermining of institutions and indeed various different factors in the world have exacerbated the situation, highlighting the flow and speed of misinformation in enabling the delivery of various populist messages. He emphasized that fundamental democratic values have to be disseminated, bolstered and defended against totalitarian undercurrents wherever they may exist. He stated that democracy has to be given a voice and all people need to be empowered to engage in the process, adding that it also has to do with legal systems and justice with the rule of law enshrined and implemented through a legislative framework. Giving the example of Nicaragua, he explained the common phenomenon of minority authoritarian regimes or dictatorships that usurp power through manipulation and misinformation. He expressed his belief that many problems, including migration and intolerance, can be overcome through strengthening institutions and ensuring that citizens are a part of the entire process, but lamented that the participatory element has failed in many respects. Underlining the need to fight against these regimes rather than engage with them on trade or any other commercial aspects, he said the main thing is liberty and the freedom of human beings to live in a democratic society.

In closing, Mr. Guaidó answered Mr. Cohen’s question on when we will see a democratic Venezuela by stating that democracy is in the voice of the people who are expressing this philosophy of democracy and demanding their rights, affirming that the fight for democracy has not lost its momentum and it is the job of the opposition to escort this process and enable it to take place. We are expressing the will of the people out there that are crying out for democracy and respect for human rights and crying out against the Maduro regime that is in power, he said. He concluded by extending a hand of friendship and solidarity to all those fighting for democracy around the world.

101 CLOSING REMARKS

Roger Cohen, Athens Democracy Forum Host and Op-Ed Columnist, The New York Times

Highlighting his personal experience of Covid-19, Roger Cohen commented that the virus has inspired something that he has seen in this year’s Forum’s proceedings in terms of radically intensified demand for new ways of living, working and consuming that safeguard our depleted planet, promote social justice and reinvent democratic citizenship. The response of democracies to their failings and the rise of autocracies have stirred, he said.

He stated that we are seeing how fragile life is and our civilization and how our planet burns, re-evaluating how we live an what is important, commenting that the towers of Manhattan may come to resemble the medieval towers of San Gimignano, relics from another era. He said, we are also seeing how authoritarian thugs struck with a new assurance, how easily truth is devalued, and how the technology that connects us may also repress us. Highlighting China’s brazen confidence that its one-party surveillance state is the answer, he stated that how it tamed the virus offers, in his view, a chilling model to the world. He lamented that, in the very country that has stood as a beacon of liberty, a political plague from on high threatens the very basis of democracy – the right to vote and have those votes counted – on November 3. Confessing a sense of great foreboding, he said history teaches us that the unthinkable is possible.

Emphasizing that this Forum is inseparable from the quest for a better world, he stated that the spirit of the event was encapsulated by Brad Smith’s sentiments when he said, “nobody is perfect, but you are a lot better if you try.” He outlined the answer to being challenged as raising your game, walking the walk and cutting the talk. Quoting Immanuel Kant, who said, “out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made,” he added that the genius of democracy is to accept that as the baseline.

On President Trump’s Covid-19 diagnosis, Mr. Cohen said he will not dwell on his

athensdemocracyforum.com mockery of science, masks and truth, but remember instead Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural address, when he said, “with malice toward none, with charity for all.” Unfortunately, he said, President Trump has never ruled with those words in mind, but rather by stirring hatred, fear and racial division, and has made clear his disrespect for American democracy. Describing the president’s moves to cast doubt on the integrity of the election as a nightmarish moment of American derangement, he stated that it is one thing when Russia tried to sabotage an election in 2016, but it is quite another when the president of the United States appears intent on doing so. Let our worst concerns about this coming election prove unfounded, he said, for global democracy would be hard pressed to survive the demise of the world’s oldest. Citing Jefferson who observed that “eternal vigilance is the price of liberty,” Mr. Cohen said that as the free press, we will be vigilant, stubborn, and resilient.

He commented that, for decades, the U.S. eyed Europe with anxiety, but today the reverse is true. Declaring the E.U. the miracle of the second half of the 20th century, he commented that, provoked by Trump and Brexit, the union has stirred, and realized it has a special responsibility as the moral leader of the Western democratic world. He stated that Merkel and Macron share this conviction: the union must be a driving force for the core Western values of freedom, democracy, openness and human rights; it must lead the way to a greener world beyond the combustion engine; and it can set an example by providing decent living standards for all and building smart states that are accountable and transparent. As long as President Trump, with his fondness for dictators of every stripe, is in White House, the U.S. cannot be the leader of the free world, he said, highlighting that he is unsure that mantle can ever be recovered, for power has shifted. He explained that, given military realities, the union cannot replace America, but emphasized that its voice has never been more important for the preservation of human dignity and underscored that he has felt many of those European voices at the Forum in Athens, speaking loudly and clearly about Europe's determination to revitalize democracy and to move toward a more federal Europe. He stated that the E.U. has been critical of China on human rights of late, recently imposing sanctions in response to Chinese suppression of protests in Hong Kong. This is the new European assertiveness, and it is very welcome, he said.

103 He commented that these are hard times; fear is rampant, millions have lost their jobs and the virus has taken far too many lives. Highlighting the creation of the E.U. as a form of insurance against times like these, he stated that it was a brilliant notion, and one that President Trump has never begun to understand, adding that, these days, he is not pessimistic about Europe, but much more worried about the United States, which he never thought he would say.

Mr. Cohen stated that he does not have the Parthenon this year, but he does have the Statue of Liberty, and he looks out daily across the East River to her torch held aloft, and it never fails to stir him, adding that she, Trump notwithstanding, is the spirit of the United States of America: “Give me your tired, you poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” He wonders if Liberty, with the proud Manhattan Island behind her, can even begin to imagine to how many millions she has given hope, stating that like her, the Caryatids, the Parthenon, and, indeed, our Forum represent the stubbornness of hope.

He recited a poem by the 13th-century Persian poet Jalaluddin Rumi, “The Guest House,” which he has been thinking about it in these difficult times.

This being human is a guest house.

Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,

some momentary awareness comes

as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!

Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,

athensdemocracyforum.com who violently sweep your house

empty of its furniture,

still, treat each guest honorably.

He may be clearing you out

for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,

meet them at the door laughing,

and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,

because each has been sent

as a guide from beyond.

Let the stranger in, for the stranger may enlighten you, Mr. Cohen said, adding that free societies and free democracies do that. Taking the sentiments of this year’s Forum cumulatively, he brought proceedings to a powerful conclusion, emphasizing that decency will prevail, the construction of a united Europe will be reinvigorated, and the United States will resist the demons that Europe knows far too well.

105 athensdemocracyforum.com KEYNOTE CONVERSATION: POLITICS, POWER AND THE PANDEMIC

Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic Yuval Noah Harari, Historian and Professor

Moderated by Liz Alderman, Chief European Business Correspondent, The New York Times

Introduction: Achilles Tsaltas, President, Athens Democracy Forum

Achilles Tsaltas welcomed delegates to this extraordinary session of the Athens Democracy Forum, which also serves as the grand finale of a thought-provoking three days of debate and deliberation.

Recalling the famous line from Monty Python: “And now for something completely different,” he introduced Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the Israeli intellectual Yuval Noah Harari, who does not own a smartphone and has declared that Homo sapiens, as we know them, will disappear in a century or so. Commenting that such a prediction may have seemed hyperbolic a few months ago, he added that as we meet virtually and talk through face masks in the midst of the pandemic, we have to take it more seriously.

Introducing Mr. Mitsotakis, who has served as prime minister since July 2019, Mr. Tsaltas acknowledged that he has confronted a Herculean set of crises from the pandemic to the new tensions with Turkey. He stated that Mr. Harari was a little harder to define, guessing that he is what we refer to these days as a public intellectual, whose ideas generate excitement, controversy and debate. Comparing Mr. Harari to Socrates, he expressed his hope that we would get some of that here today. He outlined the role of Liz Alderman, chief business correspondent for The New York Times, as here to keep things in check.

He concluded by saying here’s to politics, power and the pandemic, asking whether this will have traces of some Herculean and Socratic approaches.

107 Liz Alderman opened proceedings, commenting that it is appropriate to call this a dialogue between Hercules and Socrates, as we have brains and intellectual brawn here.

Yuval Noah Harari expressed his view that the big battle is not between humanity and the virus, it is between us and our own inner demons. He stated that we have choices: we can either react by imposing an authoritarian regime from above or we can empower citizens and, similarly, we can react to the crisis by generating hatred and competition between countries by blaming minorities and foreigners, or we can try to cooperate. He stated that we should never underestimate human stupidity, as it is one of the most powerful forces in history, adding that in many cases the choice is obvious, but people still do the other thing. He summarized his greatest fear that, when people look back at the Covid crisis, they will not remember the masks or the virus, but that this was the time when surveillance really took hold; when democracy failed and authoritarian regimes took over. He stated that it is not inevitable, emphasizing that it is still in our power to prevent this from happening, but cautioned that democracy is like a delicate flower that needs unique conditions to survive, whereas dictatorships are like weeds and can grow almost everywhere. He explained that the Athenian democratic experiment lasted just 200 years before collapsing for almost 2,000, underscoring that rebuilding it is a very difficult road.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis explained that the Greek experiment would not have been successful in fighting the first wave without building a relationship of trust with citizens and creating a sense of collective destiny to inspire changes in individual behavior, adding that the use of technology was a mechanism of collective empowerment. He stated that wearing a mask is not a political statement, but an act of self-defense and solidarity. He emphasized the E.U. Vaccines Strategy as a positive example of cooperation in the Western world. Mr. Harari argued that the prime minister left out the most important part of the West, which is the U.S., but agreed that the E.U. has been reacting in a much more cooperative way in recent months. He expressed his opinion that the so-called leader of the free world is hardly even leading itself, but the administration is rather abandoning the U.S. itself by telling mayors and municipalities to deal with the crisis, and abdicating its role as leader on the global stage. Prime Minister Mitsotakis reiterated his belief in the strength of the trans-Atlantic alliance, despite the fact that the U.S. has followed a different path in recent years.

athensdemocracyforum.com Ms. Alderman outlined the impact of the pandemic as a turning point in human history in many ways, highlighting that government support packages have demonstrated the trade-off between trying to keep economies open and trying to maintain public health. Describing the economic support package in Greece as the welfare state on steroids, Prime Minister Mitsotakis underlined his optimism that the country will not need to reintroduce the drastic lockdown measures adopted earlier this year. Mr. Harari explained the challenges associated with the potentially huge wave of mass unemployment as a result of not only the pandemic, but also due to the shift towards digitalization and automation, which the pandemic is accelerating. There will be new jobs, but the question is how to retrain the workforce, he said. He explained that rich countries may have the resources to do this, but poorer countries are facing the emergence of a useless class that does not have the skills that are needed by the economy, to the extent that entire countries might collapse. He stated that we have a global crisis with national and regional plans, lamenting that we need a global plan, but there are just no adults in the room.

Prime Minister Mitsotakis highlighted the speed with which services across government in Greece were able to be delivered digitally and agreed that the crisis is certainly an accelerator, adding that it is also a return to the nation state. He emphasized that initially there was no European solidarity and it took some time to achieve this, underlining the importance of engaging the U.S. and China if we want a global plan. Returning to Mr. Harari’s point on jobs, the prime minister stated that the biggest challenge for policy makers is establishing skills-based retraining programs that are appealing, adding that the concept of getting an education and then getting a job and a pension is probably already obsolete. He stated that we need to transform the education system to ensure that the skills we are giving our younger kids today will prepare them for these changes. He stated that there will be winners and losers, emphasizing his responsibility as prime minister in making sure that Greece is among the winners.

Illustrating the extent to which our entire social and private lives are now conducted on platforms that are owned by private businesses and individuals on the other side of the world, Mr. Harari raised the question of ownership of the digital infrastructure, underlining his belief that it should be a public good. Framing the issue as a digital cold war between China and the U.S., he stated that Europe will face a huge

109 challenge in influencing what is going on as there are no European tech giants, so it does not have a horse in the race. Highlighting the worse-case scenario, he described how, throughout history, Greece has had to deal with a lot of empires, and now we have digital imperialism where adversaries just need to take out the data rather than sending in tanks. He highlighted the challenges this presents for people running for office when all personal records are held by someone in Beijing or San Francisco or Moscow, stating his view that no political reputation could survive such a thing. Prime Minister Mitsotakis said there is a thin line between transparency and breach of privacy, adding that lots of capable people choose not to enter politics because the line can be difficult to draw, which creates a problem in terms of attracting quality people to the cause of public service. He stated that Europe has taken important steps in terms of defining digital infrastructure that it would like to have within European ownership, but warned that some services will probably be more expensive and this is a trade-off we would probably be willing to accept.

Describing the big revolution that we are living through as the emerging ability to hack human beings, Mr. Harari said that it is now possible to collect enough data on a person to understand more about them than they know themselves and manipulate that, calling it a game changer. Reinforcing the weakness of human beings, he stated that those who believe most fervently in free will are the easiest to manipulate, adding that acknowledging the harm that outside systems can cause is the first step toward building a more resilient democratic system. Prime Minister Mitsotakis agreed that a lot of the big tech companies are making a lot of money using data we unconsciously give them, which can be used by private companies as well as by the state, adding that the state has the obligation to make data available publicly.

Mr. Harari affirmed that history is not deterministic, adding that we still have agency and we still have the power to decide things. He stated that, in democracy, if you make a mistake you can try something else in five years, warning that when an authoritarian regime is established, it is extremely difficult to shake off, and there are many countries in the world right now on the verge of making this dangerous choice. Prime Minister Mitsotakis put forward his view in terms of redefining the state within the democratic process, highlighting that the pandemic has demonstrated the importance of the state in times of crisis. As a democratic leader, he expressed his obligation to at least look at what is happening in the East, where Eastern democratic

athensdemocracyforum.com societies have been much better at imposing social discipline.

In closing, Prime Minister Mitsotakis highlighted Pericles’ funeral oration as a mag- nificent eulogy to the power of democracy in a time of crisis.

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2020 SUMMARY REPORT

The New York Times York with The New 2020 in association Democracy Forum Athens The New Abnormal: Reimagining Democracy

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