“The hope of the Sunnylands group is, over time, to turn talk into action—to stimulate concrete steps, for instance, to address the needs of displaced activists across the region by providing refuge, fellowships, and other kinds of support. One possibility would be to create a new democracy “architecture” for the Indo-Pacific that would draw resources from democratic governments and invest them in prodemocracy efforts, as does the US National Endowment for Democracy or the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy.”

In this opinion piece, Freedom House President Michael Abramowitz discusses recent trends in democracy in the Indo-Pacific region, focusing on both the successes and efforts by regional activists and experts to promote long-term progress, as well as some of the threats and setbacks that have emerged. In particular, Mr. Abramowitz highlights his participation in the second meeting of the Sunnylands Initiative on Enhancing Democratic Partnership in the Indo-Pacific region in Odawara, Japan, which was co-organized by JCIE, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) in cooperation with Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands. 

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