Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point

BY Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt

America is undergoing a massive experiment: It is moving, in fits and starts, toward a multiracial democracy, something few societies have ever done. But the prospect of change has sparked an authoritarian backlash that threatens the very foundations of our political system. Why is democracy under assault here, and not in other wealthy, diversifying nations? And what can we do to save it?

With the clarity and brilliance that made their first book, How Democracies Die, a global bestseller, Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt offer a coherent framework for understanding these volatile times. They draw on a wealth of examples—from 1930s France to present-day Thailand—to explain why and how political parties turn against democracy. They then show how our Constitution makes us uniquely vulnerable to attacks from within: It is a pernicious enabler of minority rule, allowing partisan minorities to consistently thwart and even rule over popular majorities. Most modern democracies—from Germany and Sweden to Argentina and New Zealand—have eliminated outdated institutions like elite upper chambers, indirect elections, and lifetime tenure for judges. The United States lags dangerously behind.

In this revelatory book, Levitsky and Ziblatt issue an urgent call to reform our politics. It’s a daunting task, but we have remade our country before—most notably, after the Civil War and during the Progressive Era. And now we are at a crossroads: America will either become a multiracial democracy or cease to be a democracy at all.

Join us each month to discuss a pre-selected book presenting a foreign policy topic. First Wednesday of each month (12pm).

We are proud to partner with the Loudoun County Public Library who makes available multiple copies of this book for checkout at the Rust Library.

DISCUSSION WITH DAMIEN CRISTOFARI: A CAREER DIPLOMAT WITH THE FRENCH FOREIGN SERVICE

DISCUSSION WITH DAMIEN CRISTOFARI

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY:

Damien Cristofari is the Head of the Political Section and Senior Counselor in charge of European Affairs at the French Embassy to the United States.

A career diplomat with the French foreign service, Damien served in Jerusalem as Deputy Consul General (2008-2012) and in Brussels, first at the French Permanent Mission to the European Union – where he was in charge of the Middle East and North Africa portfolio (2012-2015), then as a Political advisor seconded to the European Union Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process (2015-2016) and, finally, as a Political advisor seconded to the Deputy Secretary General for Political Affairs of the European External Action Service (2017-2019).

In 2016, he was appointed Counselor on Middle East and North Africa policy in the office of the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs and former Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault. Before coming to Washington, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary in charge of the external relations of the European Union at the French Ministry for External and Foreign Affairs (MFA).

Damien Cristofari holds a B.A. (History) from La Sorbonne University and a Master's Degree (Arab Studies) from the Paris Institute of Political Sciences (Sciences PO Paris). He speaks French, English and Arabic.

20th Annual Veterans Day Commemoration

Join us for our 20th annual Veterans Day Commemoration on Monday, November 11, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. This event, cohosted by The George C. Marshall International Center, the Town of Leesburg and Loudoun County, will take place on the grounds of George C. Marshall’s Dodona Manor in historic Leesburg.

Ken Falke will be our keynote speaker, reflecting on the meaning of the day and the remarkable contributions of veterans to our community. Vintage military vehicles will be on site for exploration, and Dodona Manor will be open for free tours.

Rain or shine.

Free and open to the public (RSVP preferred).

Parking is available at the Loudoun County Government Garage on Loudoun Street.  

Transportation from the Loudoun County Government Garage provided by Cartwheels. We recommend arriving early and parking by 9:00 a.m. to allow ample time to journey to Dodona Manor.

New Cold Wars: China’s Rise, Russia’s Invasion and America’s Struggle to Defend the West

BY David E. Sanger

New Cold Wars—the latest from the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author of The Perfect Weapon David E. Sanger—is a fast-paced account of America’s plunge into simultaneous confrontations with two very different adversaries. For years, the United States was confident that the newly democratic Russia and increasingly wealthy China could be lured into a Western-led order that promised prosperity and relative peace—so long as they agreed to Washington’s terms. By the time America emerged from the age of terrorism, it was clear that this had been a fantasy.

Now the three powers are engaged in a high-stakes struggle for military, economic, political, and technological supremacy, with nations around the world pressured to take sides. Yet all three are discovering that they are maneuvering for influence in a far more turbulent world than they imagined.

Based on a remarkable array of interviews with top officials from five presidential administrations, U.S. intelligence agencies, foreign governments, and tech companies, Sanger unfolds a riveting narrative spun around the era’s critical questions: Will the mistakes Putin made in his invasion of Ukraine prove his undoing and will he reach for his nuclear arsenal—or will the West’s famously short attention span signal Kyiv’s doom? Will Xi invade Taiwan? Will both men deepen their partnership to undercut America’s dominance? And can a politically dysfunctional America still lead the world?

Taking listeners from the battlefields of Ukraine—where trench warfare and cyberwarfare are interwoven—to the Taiwan headquarters where the world’s most advanced computer chips are produced and on to tense debates in the White House Situation Room, New Cold Wars is a remarkable first-draft history chronicling America’s return to superpower conflict, the choices that lie ahead, and what is at stake for the United States and the world.

Join us each month to discuss a pre-selected book presenting a foreign policy topic. First Wednesday of each month (12pm).

We are proud to partner with the Loudoun County Public Library who makes available multiple copies of this book for checkout at the Rust Library.

Attention Student Leaders!

Make the Most of the October 30 Student Holiday

The George C. Marshall International Center is hosting a FREE, one-day session of its ethical leadership conference on Wednesday, October 30 – a day off for Loudoun County students. 

• Parents and students – take advantage of this interactive leadership opportunity, which shares lessons learned from Loudoun County’s own General George C. Marshall – one of the greatest leaders in U.S. history.

• Conference will be held at Dodona Manor in Leesburg from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• The day will be packed with unique and fun opportunities to grow as a leader and work as part of a team.

LOOTED ART: WHAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE THE “MONUMENTS MEN”?

DISCUSSION WITH MARY DALY AND DR. WESLEY FISHER

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY:

Mary Daly is a senior advisor at the U.S. Department of State, following a distinguished foreign service career focused on European security issues.  In her current work on Holocaust issues, she has the lead on looted art as well as on the U.S.-Germany Dialogue on Holocaust Issues and property restitution negotiations with countries including Croatia, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and Luxembourg.  Mary also served as Chief of Staff to the Afghan Relocation Effort and led the Foreign Service Association’s advocacy effort as they fought against personnel and budget cuts during a previous administration.   Much of her foreign service career was spent in EUR, with highlights including working on the Irish peace process, serving as speech writer for Under Secretary Tom Pickering, and serving as Senate liaison to build support for NATO enlargement.  

Dr. Wesley Fisher is Director of Research for the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) and the World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO). He heads the Claims Conference-WJRO Looted Art and Cultural Property Initiative, which works to encourage provenance research and claims processes worldwide. Previously a senior member of the founding staff of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, he was Deputy Director of the Washington Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets in 1998. Dr. Fisher helped create what is now the 35-government International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), assisted the Government of Lithuania and the Council of Europe with the organization of the 2000 Vilnius International Forum on Holocaust-Era Looted Cultural Assets and assisted the Czech Government with the 2009 Holocaust-Era Assets Conference held in Prague.

From the 1970s to early 1990s, he was the administrator of all scholarly exchanges, joint research and conferences between the United States and the former Soviet Union in the humanities and social sciences, including relations between the archives and libraries of the two countries and in art history (during the Cold War there was a consortium of 132 U.S. universities and an artificial centralization of scholarship to match the centralized Soviet system). For many years he was also a professor at Columbia University. The son of the attorney for the Non-Sectarian Anti-Nazi League, Dr. Fisher is married and the father of two children.

Off Duty - James “Spider” Marks: Marshall’s Mission to China and China Today

In 1945, General George C. Marshall embarked on a challenging mission to China, tasked with brokering peace between the Chinese Nationalist government led by Chiang Kai-shek and the Communist forces under Mao Zedong. The "Marshall Mission" ultimately failed to prevent the eruption of the Chinese Civil War, which led to the victory of the Communists and the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

Major. General (Retired) James “Spider” Marks will reflect on the legacy of the Marshall Mission and China’s emergence as a modern economic and military powerhouse 8 decades later.

EVENT DETAILS

Off Duty is an outdoor speaker series hosted by the George C. Marshall International Center. Each event features a speaker discussing a topic that touches on history adjacent to George C. Marshall and the times in which he lived. The events run around 90 minutes, with light refreshments and opportunities for networking before and after the discussion.

QUESTIONS TO CKOESTER@GEORGECMARSHALL.ORG

World on the Brink: How America Can Beat China in the Race for the 21st Century

BY Dmitri Alperovitch with Garrett M. Graff

The leading national security expert who predicted Putin’s intention to invade Ukraine argues that China’s Xi Jinping is preparing to conquer Taiwan in the coming years—with dire stakes for America and the world if he is not deterred

We are fully in the midst of Cold War II, this time with China. Taiwan is a new West Berlin, a perilous strategic flashpoint where localized events could trigger a devastating war between nuclear powers.
 
But this outcome is far from inevitable. Laying out the grand strategy for the United States and allies to avoid this fate, the highly respected security analyst Dmitri Alperovitch reveals key actions that could enable America to win the race for the twenty-first century. This sharp, timely book is the essential blueprint for preventing a catastrophe.

Join us each month to discuss a pre-selected book presenting a foreign policy topic. First Wednesday of each month (12pm).

We are proud to partner with the Loudoun County Public Library who makes available multiple copies of this book for checkout at the Rust Library.

TROUBLED WATERS: INSIDE THE U.S.-CUBA RELATIONSHIP

DISCUSSION WITH MARC SUSSER

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY:

Marc J. Susser spent almost 37 years with the U.S. Department of State.  His final position before retiring in 2021 was as a Senior Advisor in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.  He joined the Foreign Service in 1984, moved to the Civil Service in 1994, and became a member of the Senior Executive Service in 2001.  He served overseas in Mexico and Spain, as well as in several offices in the Department, including as the Director of the office that produced the annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, as the Department Historian, and as a country desk officer for Cuba.  He has negotiated with the Cubans, the Russians, and the Chinese, as well as in the UN arena.  He has been awarded the State Department’s Superior Honor Award twice, its Meritorious Honor Award twice, the Secretary’s Award for Public Outreach, and a Senior Executive Service Presidential Rank Award. He received his doctorate in history from Harvard University.

By All Means Available

BY Michael Vickers

In 1984, Michael Vickers took charge of the CIA’s secret war against the Soviets in Afghanistan. After inheriting a strategy aimed at imposing costs on the Soviets for their invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, Vickers transformed the covert campaign into an all-out effort to help the Afghan resistance win their war. More than any other American, he was responsible for the outcome in Afghanistan, which helped trigger the last chapter of the Cold War.

In By All Means Available, Vickers recounts his remarkable career, from his days as a Green Beret to his vision for victory in Afghanistan to his role in waging America’s war with Al-Qaeda at the highest levels of government. He depicts his years in the Special Forces—including his training to parachute behind enemy lines with a backpack nuclear weapon in the event of a Soviet invasion of Western Europe—and reveals how those experiences directly influenced his approach to shaping policy. Vickers has played a significant role in most of the military and intelligence operations of the past four decades, and he offers an informed analysis of the greatest challenges facing America today and in the decades ahead.

Join us each month to discuss a pre-selected book presenting a foreign policy topic. First Wednesday of each month (12pm).

We are proud to partner with the Loudoun County Public Library who makes available multiple copies of this book for checkout at the Rust Library.

MARSHALL AND THE 1948 RECOGNITION OF ISRAEL: THE CASE FOR INTERMEDIATE STEPS

DISCUSSION WITH RACHEL YARNELL THOMPSON

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY:

Marshall historian Rachel Yarnell Thompson, a former high school American history teacher and curriculum specialist, has for 22 years been a student of George C. Marshall at his museum home here in Leesburg, Virginia where he and his wife lived from 1941 until his death in 1959. Her extensive knowledge of Marshall’s life in this small Northern Virginia town has given Thompson a unique understanding of a remarkable leader whose personality was sometimes hidden by his outwardly austere and inscrutable personality. In 2014, the Center published her full-length biography of this famous general titled: Marshall--A Statesman Shaped in the Crucible of War, which has been highly praised.

Myths About Israel

BY Ilan Pappe

In Ten Myths About Israel, outspoken Israeli historian Ilan Pappe examines the most contested ideas concerning the origins and identity of the contemporary state of Israel. Pappe contends that the “ten myths” outlined in his book reinforce the regional status quo. He explores the claim that Palestine was an empty land at the time of the Balfour Declaration, the formation of Zionism and its role in the early decades of nation building, and whether the Palestinians voluntarily left their homeland in 1948, among other topics.

Join us each month to discuss a pre-selected book presenting a foreign policy topic. First Wednesday of each month (12pm).

We are proud to partner with the Loudoun County Public Library who makes available multiple copies of this book for checkout at the Rust Library.

An Event Honoring the 80th Anniversary of the Normandy Landings

The Town of Leesburg together with the Thomas Balch Library and the George C. Marshall International Center invite you to a special event honoring the 80th anniversary of D-Day (June 6-1944 - June 6 2024). The vent will be held on Sunday June 2, 2024 with our panel of speakers beginning at 2pm at Dodona Manor, 312 East Market Street, Leesburg, VA 20176.

** In the event of inclement weather, we will move to the conference rooms at Thomas Balch Library, 208 West Market Street, Leesburg, VA 20176.

Program of Events

Arrive before 1pm for free guided tours of Dodona Manor, a National Historic Landmark and the home of General George C. Marshall.

Featured World War II History Panel:

• General George C. Marshall - Rachel Thompson

• The Men on the Monuments - Dr. Robert Holcomb

• Prisoners of War in Loudoun County - Yvonne French

Also Included

• Exploration of the grounds at Dodona Manor (self-guided)

• Interactive mapping about Leesburg during the War

• Dedication of model USS Marshall by the Capitol Chapter, Naval Submarine League

For additional questions regarding this event please contact Preservation Planner Lauren Murphy

Why Not Make A Day Of It

Oatlands, a National Historic Landmark just south of Leesburg, is hosting a special tour at 11:00am, 1:00pm, and 3:00pm called From Beachhead to Battlefield. In honor of the 80th Anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of Normandy, join Oatlands' Public Historian, Audrey DeAngelis, for a special tour of Oatlands focused on the contributions of the family members and neighbors to the Allied war effort.  For additional information, please visit www.oatlands.org

Come early to catch the free 1:00pm tours of Dodona Manor, George C. Marshall's historic residence and then stay for our special program starting at 2:00pm. For additional information regarding Dodona Manor and the lasting legacy of General Marshall please visit www.georgecmarshall.org/dodona 

Enjoy local shops and restaurants in our beautiful Old and Historic District, click to view our Locally Leesburg Map for a listing of downtown businesses.

We look forward to seeing you there!!

Join Dodona Manor garden volunteer Tom Watson for drop-in gardening on the grounds!

ADVENTURES WITH HENRY: AN INSIDER’S VIEW OF THE KISSINGER YEARS AND LEGACY

DISCUSSION WITH LES JANKA

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY:

Retired and now residing with his wife Michele on Hilton Head Island, SC, Mr. Janka previously lived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he worked as President of Raytheon Arabian Systems Company.

Prior to joining Raytheon, Mr. Janka distinguished himself as an international affairs expert during a 40-year career as a government relations consultant, business executive and high-level U.S. government official. He served in the White House as Special Assistant to the President, Senior Staff Member on the National Security Council, White House Deputy Press Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Pentagon.

In the nonprofit sector, he has served on the board of directors of American Near East Refugee Aid, the George C. Marshall International Center and the Tangier American Legation Museum.

A frequent lecturer and author on the Washington political scene, Middle East affairs and the formulation of U.S. national security policy, Mr. Janka holds a BA in Economics from the University of Redlands and an MA in Middle East Studies from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

Join Dodona Manor garden volunteer Tom Watson for drop-in gardening on the grounds!

The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens

By Richard Haass

In The Bill of Obligations, Council on Foreign Relations President and New York Times best-selling author Dr. Richard Haass offers a provocative guide to how we must reenvision citizenship if American democracy is to survive.

The Bill of Rights is at the center of our Constitution, yet our most intractable conflicts often emerge from contrasting views as to what our rights ought to be. As former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer pointed out, “Many of our cases, the most difficult ones, are not about right versus wrong. They are about right versus right.” The lesson is clear: rights alone cannot provide the basis for a functioning, much less flourishing, democracy.

Haass offers a cure: to place obligations on the same footing as rights. The ten obligations that Haass introduces here are essential for healing our divisions and safeguarding the country’s future. These obligations reenvision what it means to be an American citizen. They are not a burden but rather commitments that we can make to fellow citizens and to the government to uphold democracy and counter the growing apathy, anger, selfishness, division, disinformation and violence that threaten us all. Through an expert blend of civics, history and political analysis, this book illuminates how Americans can rediscover and recover the attitudes and behaviors that have contributed so much to this country’s success over the centuries.

Join us each month to discuss a pre-selected book presenting a foreign policy topic. First Wednesday of each month (12pm).

We are proud to partner with the Loudoun County Public Library who makes available multiple copies of this book for checkout at the Rust Library.

Join Dodona Manor garden volunteer Tom Watson for drop-in gardening on the grounds!

SPACE AND NATIONAL SECURITY

DISCUSSION WITH MICHAEL GRIFFIN

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY:

Michael D. Griffin is the Co-Founder and Co-President of LogiQ, Inc., a company providing high-end management, scientific and technical consulting services. He was previously the U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, and in that role shared responsibility with the Deputy Under Secretary for research, development and prototyping activities within the Department of Defense. 

In prior roles Griffin was the Chairman and CEO of Schafer Corporation, the King-MacDonald Professor at University of Alabama in Huntsville, the Administrator of NASA, Space Department Head at the John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, President of In-Q-Tel, CEO of Magellan Systems and EVP and General Manager of Orbital ATK’s Space Systems Group. 

Griffin is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the International Academy of Astronautics, an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, a Fellow of the American Astronautical Society and a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. He has received the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, the AIAA Space Systems Medal and Goddard Astronautics Award, the National Space Club’s Goddard Trophy, the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement, the Missile Defense Agency’s Ronald Reagan Award and has twice been awarded the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal. 

He holds seven earned degrees, including a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland, and has been recognized with honorary doctoral degrees from Florida Southern College and the University of Notre Dame. Griffin is a Certified Flight Instructor with instrument and multi-engine ratings, a Registered Professional Engineer in Maryland and California and the lead author of two dozen technical papers and the textbook Space Vehicle Design.

George C. Marshall Award Gala

Our 2024 Award Gala is scheduled for Friday, April 12, 2024, at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, VA.

Attendees will enjoy dinner, a captivating keynote, the presentation of the annual George C. Marshall Award in Ethical Leadership, remarks by the recipient and entertainment, all while networking and supporting the Marshall Center.

2024 Award: Jen Easterly, the Director of the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)

Join Dodona Manor garden volunteer Tom Watson for drop-in gardening on the grounds!