Former Dominican President Gives Keynote at George Washington University (GWU)

Dr. Leonel Fernandez, Former President of the Dominican Republic and current President of Global Foundation for Democracy and Development, and its sister organization in the DR, Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo, (FUNGLODE),  gave the keynote address at a  George Washington University (GWU) seminar on November 15 entitled, "Political Communication and Campaigns:  Winning Strategies and Governance." The seminar,
which spans two days, forms part of GWU’s Graduate School of Political Management’s (GSPM) Program of work.

Speaking to hundreds of GW students, faculty, administrators, alumni and area professionals, President Fernández, who has served a resounding three terms as President of the DR (first in 1996-2000, and subsequently in 2004-2012) thanked the organizers of the event including the President of GWU, Steven Knapp, and Director of the GSPM,
Mark Kennedy, as well as Roberto Izurieta, Director of Latin American Program, Political Campaigns, for their roles in presenting such an interesting and informative program topic.

Fernandez
spoke authoritatively and insightfully about the global economic crisis and its impact on electoral and political campaigns in Europe, US and Latin America. He stated that global interdependence has a role to play in the fact that power is shifting: from states to non-state actors, from institutions to networks, etc.

Quoting Moises Naím from his recent book, “The End of Power”, Dr. Fernandez explained that traditional power is, in fact,
declining as evidenced by the flagging ability of large organization such as government ministries, corporations, militaries, churches, educational and philanthropic foundations, to operate in historically established ways.  Instead, wealth is now more concentrated than ever in the hands of elites and the institutions they control.  This is despite the fact the ability of elites to use their assets to influence and shape the world has dissipated.   Power,
as Naim illustrates, now manifests itself in new ways and places. New technologies and novel social groupings have allowed inventors, activists, terrorists, and many other types of people to exercise more influence. Dr. Fernandez emphasized one must be aware of this to be a great leader in the 21st century.

In his presentation, Fernandez was able to make a direct link between governments winning or losing depending on the economic situation of the time.  He drew
the connection country by country. He attributed  success in government elections has been rewarded to a diverse group of presidents who have done well in handling the economy,  and who have retained very high levels of public support. This has been the case in many more countries in Latin America, but has not held so true in Europe where the economic situation has drastically worsened, with the exception of Germany.

The Seminar, hosted by
GWU’s prestigious GSPM is giving participants the opportunity to learn from some of the most experienced political leaders and renowned academics.  They will also have the occasion to become familiar with sophisticated tools in the field of public opinion related to communication strategies, marketing, as well as electoral and government campaigns   Among other topics to be discussed at the seminar include Presidential and Government Communication,
Crisis and Political Scandals, Electoral Control, Strategies and Advertising, Negotiation in Policy, Leadership and Public Policy and Campaigns.

Speakers  over the two day seminar include Leonel Fernández, President of the Dominican Republic from 1996-2000 and 2004-2012,  and current President of the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development  (GFDD) and Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE); Margarita
Zavala, First Lady of Mexico during the Presidency of Felipe Calderón (2006-2012); Ivonne Ortega, vastly experienced Mexican politician; Luis Miranda, Director of Hispanic Media at the White House; amongst other renowned leaders and academics.

Presentation: The Global Recession and its Impact on the Electorate
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