Debate on Democratic Change in the Future World
On December 8th at 14:00, the Faculty of Political Science and Diplomacy of Vytautas Magnus University will hold a debate, titled “Is there a Place for Democratic Change in the Future World?” By invitation of the Spanish Embassy in Lithuania, the debate will be joined by the Director of the Elcano Royal Institute (Spain) Charles Powell and Senior Analyst of the same institute Ignacio Molina.
“The idea to organise this event around transitions and democracy was born from the relationship with Vytautas Magnus University and the exchange of ideas between Spanish and Lithuanian academics with a shared interest in the experiences and visions of democratization processes in various countries. It is a very important topic, especially in regards to the current situation in Belarus and in other parts of Europe“ – said José María Robles Fraga, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain in Lithuania. The Elcano Royal Institute is a think tank specialised in international and strategic studies conducted from a Spanish, European and global perspective.
“Charles Powell and Ignacio Molina represent the most important Spanish think tank — the Elcano Royal Institute. They are academics of the highest degree, and it is with great joy that they participate in this event organised in Lithuania“ – added the Ambassador.
Head of Representation of European Commission Arnoldas Pranckevičius and political scientists of the Faculty of Political Science and Diplomacy Prof. Šarūnas Liekis, Prof. Mindaugas Jurkynas and Dr. Tatsiana Chulitskaya will also participate in the debate. The debate moderator will be doctoral candidate of the Division of Public Communication of VMU, Vigilija Žiūraitė.
The debate will be broadcasted live on the Faculty of Political Science and Diplomacy Facebook page. The language of the debate will be English.
More about the representatives of the Elcano Royal Institute:
Charles Powell
Charles Powell has been director of the Elcano Royal Institute since 2012. The Elcano Royal Institute is a think tank specialised in international and strategic studies conducted from a Spanish, European and global perspective. Ch. Powell is a professor of Contemporary History at CEU San Pablo University as well.
He read History and Modern Languages at the University of Oxford, which also awarded him a Doctorate in History. Later, he worked as a lecturer in the same university.
In 2001, he joined the Elcano Royal Institute as Senior Analyst for Europe, and in 2004, he was appointed Deputy Director for Research and Analysis. In the course of his career, he has supervised eight doctoral theses and taught and lectured in more than 40 countries in Europe, Africa, America and Asia.
Ignacio Molina
Ignacio Molina is a Senior Analyst at the Elcano Royal Institute and Lecturer at the Department of Politics and International Relations at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
He has served as an external expert or consultant to several institutions including the European Parliament, the European Commission, the Spanish Council of State, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Spanish Institute for Public Administration (INAP) or the Bertelsmann Foundation.
Research areas: his areas of interest and expertise include the foreign and EU policy of Spain, the future of the European Union, the Europeanisation of Spain’s politics and government, the analysis of the State’s institutional capacity and the quality of governance in Spain. His most recent research has focused on the effects of the euro debt crisis on the integration process and the prospects of political union, the policy formation and influence of Spain within the EU policy process, the strategic reform of the Spanish external action, or the improvement of executive governance in advanced democracies.
