December 08, 2022
SIU’s Paul Simon Institute to host leading expert on democracy
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Rachel Kleinfeld, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and one of the nation’s leading experts on democracy, will join the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute for a virtual discussion next week.
Kleinfeld will join John Shaw, institute director, at 9 a.m. Monday, Dec. 12, for a conversation via Zoom as part of the institute’s Understanding Our New World series. The event is free and open to the public; registration is required to gain access to the Zoom webinar. Visit paulsimoninstitute.org/events to register.
The two will discuss Kleinfeld’s path-breaking work on the intersection of democracy and security, her March 31, 2022 testimony about political violence in the United States to Congress’s Jan. 6 select committee, and her important new research on what the United States can do to bolster its democratic institutions.
“Dr. Kleinfeld is one of our country’s most creative and substantive analysts on the serious challenges now facing American democracy,” Shaw said. “Her insights are based on rigorous research, and her recommendations are both powerful and practical. We are especially eager to hear her insights on how we can rebuild our struggling democratic institutions.”
Kleinfeld is a native of Alaska, has an undergraduate degree from Yale University, and a master’s and doctorate from Oxford University, which she attended as a Rhodes Scholar. Before coming to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, she co-founded the Truman National Security Project and directed it for a decade. This project trained national security experts to promote global security and democracy.
She is the author of three books. Her TED talk on improving violent democracies has been viewed over 1 million times.
Attendees are encouraged to submit questions for Kleinfeld on their registration form or email questions to paulsimoninstitute@siu.edu.