How is everyone doing . Good afternoon, everyone. I am so happy to once again thank you for joining us for this important event at an incredibly critical time for our country, and the entire international community. Cal time for our entire, and the international community. We have gathered together at the dawn of a new decade, and it has become clear that the 21st century will be defined by a singular competition. A competition not of technology or of weaponry, but of ideas, ideas about how to solve problems, and the best way for societies to do so. I believe the 21st century will be defined by a competition between democracy and authoritarianism. And while of competition may not have the same military Company Military consequences as the cold war that unfolded between democracy and communism, it is similarly a competition to define the future of the world. There are two distinct poles in this debate. On the one hand as the United States and european allies, and end, china and russia. And china is not passive in this debate, it is assertively making the case for its form of government on the global stage, and in latin america and the rest of asia. It argues its form is more adaptive and effective and better able to address challenges like poverty and Climate Change. And if we want to be honest with ourselves, there are days our erratic behavior makes chinas case very well. Our world is perhaps more complicated than at any other point. Because this company this competition is not only occurring between countries, it is taking place within entries as well. Over the past few decades, have hades themselves leaders with authoritarian impulses, like victor or bonn in hungary, who has weakened the press and judiciary erie in india, the Worlds Largest democracy, Prime Minister modi has championed a citizenship law that discriminates against members of the Muslim Community that echoes the disgraceful muslim ban in the United States. In our own country, the president has attacked our federal judges, declared the free press an enemy of the people and undermined election after election. To say that President Trump is a friend or faithful steward of our constitution and democracy might be something of a stretch. And yet it is not just democracies facing challenges from within. Indeed, as democracies grapple with the rise of authoritarian populism, autocratic states have experienced growing political protests, demanding greater political freedoms. Largely Peaceful Demonstrations have brought down taters in algeria and sudan and protesters flooded the streets of hong kong, moscow, and just this past weekend, throughout iran. Ro testers in these Different Countries are united by their opposition to political repression, and by their pleas and demands for the simple right to have a say in their own political future. Warsd, in a world where between nations are thankfully rare, the battle between authoritarianism and democracy nations,ving within not just between them. I want to make a simple plea to this very esteemed group. Politic. Move beyond i appreciate the call for analytical detachment, but this is a moment for choosing. So i ask you to consider moving beyond that real politic to defend democracy abroad and here at home. There are so many moments in our history were todays realism looks very much like tomorrows hypocrisy. Dangerousject a unilateralism perceived by donald trump, who speaks admiringly of foreign dictators, and alienating our allies. We must ensure strengthening cooperation with our democratic allies stands as a core pillar of our Foreign Policy agenda. This includes joining with ortners to defend our collective Democratic Institutions against interference from authoritarian states. I dont fortunately and unfortunately we have more news of that happening today. We must also stand up for human rights. In order for the United States to uphold, critic values abroad, we must fully embrace them here at home uphold Democratic Values abroad, we must fully embrace them here at home. Other countries take note if we dont embrace these values, lyticr it is ever present corruption. Our government must and acts solutions that defend the fundamental premise of this nation, that every person deserves a meaningful chance to earn a better life, to receive equal treatment under our laws, and to take part in our democracy. Because what most fundamentally weakens democracies from within is the idea that democracies know longer deliver results for their people. Breeds a cynicism that is crippling. So we must repair and revitalize our own micro c. People,invest in our and education and research on infrastructure and health care, we both deliver results for our people and strengthen ourselves for that competition with china. Is 2020. This year will represent a t in themomen history of the United States. It can help forge a new, aggressive agenda and domestic and foreign policies that tackles the great challenges of our time. In Foreign Policy, that means taking on urgent threats posed by Climate Change, to end unnecessary wars and to return to diplomacy with iran. Cap is incredibly written for the partnership of all the people in this room, not just for today, but for days, weeks and months to come. When i think of the people who propelled the fight for democracy and human rights towards this core of our Foreign Policy, i can think of no one better to make that case than our special guests for our keynote guest for our keynote session, ambassador cement the power. From 20132017, she served as our representative to the u. N. She played a pivotal role in responsemericas to russian aggression in syria and ukraine, enacting sanctions in north korea, and ending the ebola crisis. Since the conclusion of the Obama Administration, ambassador power has served as a professor of Global Leadership and human rights at the Harvard Kennedy school and harvard law school. Last year she published a memoir, the education and the as one of hailed 2019s most notable books by the Washington Post and the new york times, and the los angeles times, and it was a fascinating read. We are glad ambassador power could be here on the power of National Security. Kelly back to the stage and give a warm round of applause to ambassador samantha power. [applause] kelly thank you, all. I hope everybody had a good lunch. Ambassador power, welcome to the National Security conference, the first 100 days. You are an astute person who experienced the first 100 days of an administration and the rest of the administration as well, so we look forward to your perspectives. , want to mention your new book the education of a new idealist. There are parts of that book that i feel like i lived with you through. It was nice to see it written down in a compelling and personal way. One theme that comes up throughout the book is how to , andce your ideals navigate a very complex National Security bureaucracy, which many in this room have seen and lived through. Reflectou get things to your values and ideals . Many in this room have a Foreign Policy agenda, but there is always reflection but there is always friction. I would like your views on that. Ambassador power thank you. It is good to be here, like a big reunion, a lot of people i havent seen since that fateful day in 2017 when everything changed, a galaxy far, far away. So it is great to be back in that galaxy. I will divvy up the answer into two parts. Where i landed after eight years of learning on the job in the executive branch, i and cap you late in the book and expression ncapsulate i end caps yo in the book and expression i borrow, shrink the change. It isnt the trump years that brought about the democracy recession, they contributed and are helping fuel at end america is now part of the micro c recession, but we were living that for all the years of the Obama Administration. We now have 13 straight years of freedom in decline around the world, and many people in this room were in jobs with that itlow that portfolio, and was maddening. And we were trying lots of tactics to chip away at that problem, gathering Civil Society, creating instruments at the u. N. Like special rapporteurs and freedom of information and things like that, and then working on discreet issues. But sitting with the younger and more creative members of my team in 2015, we came up with this idea of a modest campaign called ethe20, which was our way of taking this huge decline in democracy around the world and this rise of xenophobia claire, and turn it into something concrete xena ir, andflau turned it into something concrete. We profile 20 inmates, and in the end, thanks to the work of people in this room and others, and 20 female u. S. Senators, because as it happened there were 20 female u. S. Senators at the time in the senate who threw their weight behind the campaign on a bipartisan basis. 16 of the 20 women were freed from jail. You ask, how do you get things done, we didnt even make much of a dent in the freedom recession, but we did something concrete. It proved the concept ended then morphed into other campaigns that were about very discreet causes. But sometimes you can define yourself out of meaningful action, especially now where issues like Climate Change by , evention feel so small if you have a very influential role in a future administration. So that is in a policy level. I guess i would say now that we , not evens period having the ability to do to make a list of prisoners and try to get them out of jail, something that modest, i feel like now it is each of our spots ability responsibilities to make sure that change takes place in january 2021. I feel like a lot of terms have been thrown around, like rebuilding trust, restoring alliances. I wasnt in the Breakout Sessions and i am sure it got much more concrete. I think one thing we can do now, those of you who have strong and longstanding relationships with answer theries, is question of what actually will it take to not rebuild trust, because we know it wont be rebuilt overnight, but what are the kinds of very discreet, shrink the change, achievable that would land without size influence with other country land with outsize influence with other countries. Or some it might be resubmitting our papers for the paris agreement. And that will take hold and come into effect 30 days after we do so. People,ook two young and they say i want to do something, make a difference in the world, and i say, no something. It seems like now we have a real smuts ability to know how to alter the ecosystem, things but lets control, use the time we have to hear from others, what will make a dent. And comparably, you asked a great question earlier to the Previous Panel about how to thate Foreign Policy resonates with that domestic constituency or has domestic appeal. That is not entirely knowable because people are different all around the country, and it what subsection of the American Public one is thinking about, but that would be another really good way to use our time right now. We talked about it in the china what subsection ofcontext, howe in selling domestic mobilization around our entity investment investment, ai investment, our diplomatic corps , so what if the what is the sweet spot with china that brings about that domestic mobilization but also leaves space for areas of cooperation we know we need. What is that sweet spot . Some of you have listened to john favreau on pod save america, going around the and he found himself surprised to hear among independents and swing state voters, how much it mattered to people that we had lost the respect of people around the world, or that we feel alone. People in that interesting people who change their Party Affiliation from election to election. Ugh, it is not good to have your respect and Favorability Ratings plummet. Well, that is interesting and will have ramifications for the next administration, and how they package what we are doing. But it would be great to drill into. We know that is an issue that might resonate, but then what is the remedy . What are the issues that would land . And maybe it is not this community that is best positioned to do that. I dont think i am particularly good at that, knowing how to bridge those differences. But if we have learned anything in every discussion like this expert,reign policy where is the work being done in a specific way, to figure out how to get expert the most domec bang for your buck, so you can sell all the wonderful things are Breakout Sessions decided we needed to do . Kelly i am going to put you on the spot a little bit. If you were in charge of the world and looking at big priorities, because we have no endinge, limit change, the wars, rebuilding respect, what would making a dent look like to you . Bigwhat would be your muscle movements, policy moves you would consider within the first hundred days first 100 days . Ambassador power it is a little copout, because you did ask that question of others and i will try not to repeat what others said. I did sit in on jakes china breakout session and heard great ideas in that space. I guess i would say i would the enabling environment to get back to the ecosystem, what others have referred to as the diplomatic blitz, whethert in that enabling environment what one does in the south china our and the power visavis messaging will turn on the power of success at rebuilding, because it would look different now, but building and a relationship with the republic of korea by injecting more trust into the relationship with japan. Heads arean partners exploding and have been now for some time, so that is part of youenabling environment are not going enabling environment. You are not going to solve it in the first 100 days or even the first term, but retrieving americas credibility, our weitimacy, their sense that have systems and processes and thereg that so that is going to be a huge amount of thatin our interlocutors would go to meet with the director of this of the retary of that in the secretary of that and at a certain point you realize, these people have no idea what trump is about to do about anything. So it is not just whether our word matters and our future agreements matter, that is part of the enabling environment. Personnell issues others talked about in terms of our diplomatic corps, to put a finer point on it, 225,000 u. S. Pentagon personnel serve overseas today. 225,000. 9000 diplomats. Is just one9000 example of something that long predated trump, but maybe trump gives us an excuse to breathe new life into. A set of signals you can send early on, climate, we would be depositing instruments of reaccession, and that would be welcomed, but on climate not only the breaking down of silos within our domestic institutions in the breaking down of domestic ,oreign policy we know exist also thinking through what the pathway to paris 2. 0 is. Will saymate people it is far too soon and we havent even sat down with china yet, and what is that going to look like, but for us to say to the world, we know we have lost four years. Here is how mayors and governors and Mike Bloomberg have made a dent in our absence, but we are we remember that paris was always a floor, and that we have to make up for lost time. And then, of course, the domestic set of executive orders that go beyond where we were when we left off. I think that is really important. What i havent heard mentioned initiativese set of on human rights and democracy. Are at a comparative advantage now, with china stepping up in the world in such cataclysmic ways and important that we have a comparative advantage in democracy. How do we show that early . Just a few ideas. Confidencere is a deficit in democracies right now that we need to try to remedy, and remember the 55 of countries, even now with the the freedom deficit of 13 years, 55 of countries are democratic, that is half of the worlds population. Is there some gathering of democracies . People involved in democracies know that never had a huge impact, but whether it is ad hoc gatherings regionally with democratic countries, we need to be pooling our resources, pooling our ideas. Other countries are way beyond where we are now on combating foreign election interference, other democracies that is. That is a topic for a summit of democracies, deciding who is an and who is out may be creates a race to the top. We know from the obama summits that everybody wants to be at eight u. S. Chaired summit, and notwithstanding the damage of the trump years, that will still be the case. Back, and energy pride in what it means to be a democracy, and giving texture to benefits that can accrue in pooling our strength. Economically, the u. S. And european democracies, how potent the chinampared to export of its model. Even with hungary and poland and the caveats to it, it is a much more powerful presence, and again, get a Little Spring back in the step. Credible on human rights and democracy, most of our work is going to be on our internal struggles and reclaiming the legitimacy of our efforts beyond our borders. So the rule of law, independence of the department of justice and attorney general, the return to the embrace of, even an adversarial relationship with the press, those are foundational to our human rights and democracy leadership. And there are small issues that like have outsize impact, opposing legislation. We have our cu legislation that our coup legislation that maybe we didnt observe to the letter in the egypt context, but coups are less the issue now than the extension of peoples terms or the doing away of constitutional limits on