The National Endowment for Democracy and the Embassy of Canada today inaugurated an important new forum for discourse on democracy and its progress worldwide: the Seymour Martin Lipset Lecture on Democracy in the World.
The lecture was delivered by former president of Brazil Fernando Henrique Cardoso.
The lecture, which was held at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C., is named for one of the great scholars of democracy and public intellectuals of the twentieth century, Seymour Martin Lipset, a Hoover Institution senior fellow.
Lipset also received the Democracy Service Medal of the National Endowment for Democracy.
"Marty Lipset's scholarship on themes like the conditions for democracy, political parties, voting behavior and public opinion constitutes one of the most prolific and insightful bodies of work on democracy ever produced by a single author," said Carl Gershman, president of the National Endowment for Democracy.
Lipset has also been one of the most important comparative analysts of the two great democracies of North America and a strong advocate for U.S.-Canadian cooperation.
The joint U.S.-Canadian sponsorship of the Lipset Lecture will provide an opportunity for influential audiences in both countries to hear and discuss a major intellectual statement on democracy each year and will serve as a catalyst for further cooperation between Canada and the United States in the promotion of democracy and democratic ideas around the world.
"We are honored to host the first annual Seymour Martin Lipset Lecture on Democracy in the World with remarks by former Brazilian president Fernando Henrique Cardoso," said Canadian ambassador to the United States Michael F. Kergin. "Professor Lipset has had a distinguished academic career that has included major contributions to the study of Canadian society and Canada-U.S. relations. I am delighted that we can host the inaugural lecture."
The lecture, which was also cosponsored by the Munk Centre for International Relations of the University of Toronto, will in future years be delivered in both the United States and Canada. It will be an intellectual platform for men and women who, like Lipset, have made important contributions to our thinking about key issues of democracy through their writings and other accomplishments.
Information on the National Endowment for Democracy may be found at www.ned.org. Information on the Embassy of Canada may be found at www.canadianembassy.org.
