How to Ignite, or Quash, a Revolution in 140 Characters or Less

:
The Promise and Limitations of New Technologies in Spreading Democracy

Arizona State University | New America Foundation | Slate magazine
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
2:00pm-6:00pm

Do the Internet and social media empower Big Brother or individuals in autocratic regimes, or do they offer a rare level playing field?

This year's Arab Spring resurrected exuberant claims for the role of new technologies in spreading democracy. At the same time self-proclaimed "cyber-realists" were quick to point out that President Mubarak's problems seemed to grow after he unplugged the Internet. Now, summer's deadly stalemate in Syria has given pause to anyone peddling absolute theories about the interplay between new information technologies and revolution.

If not a panacea, how can social media and the Internet be deployed to maximize civic engagement in autocratic societies? Does the U.S. policy of supporting Internet Freedom amount to a policy of regime change in some countries? When Big Brother does unplug the Internet, what can, or should, the rest of us do about it?

A reception will immediately follow the event.

2:00 pm - Reflecting on the Tunisian Hair Trigger

Sami Ben Gharbia (from Tunisia)
Co-founder, nawaat.org
Advocacy Director, Global Voices

Steve Coll
President
New America Foundation

2:20 pm - Internet Freedom and Human Rights: The Obama Administration's Perspective

Michael H. Posner
Assistant Secretary of State for Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
U.S. Department of State

Moderator

Jacob Weisberg
Chairman and Editor-in-Chief
Slate Group

2:50 pm - Friending Revolutions: Social Media and Political Change in Egypt and Beyond

Merlyna Lim
Professor, Consortium of Science, Policy and Outcomes and the School of Social Transformation - Justice and Social Inquiry Program
Arizona State University

3:10 pm - How the Arab Spring Begat a Deadly Summer

Ahmed Al Omran
Blogger, Saudijeans.org

Ammar Abdulhamid
Executive Director, Tharwa Foundation
Blogger and Human Rights Activist

Oula Alrifai
Syrian Youth Activist

Moderator
Katherine Zoepf
Schwartz Fellow, New America Foundation
Contributor, New York Times

4:00 pm - Myths, Realities, and Inconvenient Truths of the Internet

Rebecca MacKinnon
Senior Schwartz Fellow, New America Foundation
Co-founder, Global Voices Online

4:30 pm - The View from Havana
Yoani Sanchez (via video)
Blogger, desdecuba.com
Human Rights Activist

4:45 pm - Internet Freedom's Next Frontiers?

Mary Jo Porter
English Translator for Yoani Sanchez and other Cuban bloggers
Co-founder, hemosoido.com and translatingcuba.com

Marcus Noland
Deputy Director, Peterson Institute for International Economics
Author,
Witness to Transformation: Refugee Insights into North Korea

Moderator
Andrés Martinez
Co-Director, Future Tense Initiative
Director, Bernard L. Schwartz Fellows Program, New America Foundation

5:20 pm - Bypassing the Master Switch
Sascha Meinrath
Director, Open Technology Initiative
New America Foundation

Ian Schuler
Senior Program Manager, Internet Freedoms Program
U.S. Department of State

Moderator
Robert Wright
Future Tense Fellow, New America Foundation
Author, Nonzero, The Moral Animal, and The Evolution of God

To RSVP for the event:
http://newamerica.net/events/2011/ignite_or_quash_revolution

For questions, contact Stephanie Gunter at (202) 596-3367 or gunter@newamerica.net