Are There Democracy Lessons Arabs Can Learn from Eastern Europe?
“, the Ion Ratiu Democracy lecture launch given by Professor Saad Eddin Ibrahim at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. on 30 November, a.c, was a smashing success. It was in the same universe of success as that of Romania at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in the summer of 1999, the latter in the cultural domain, the former in the political, intellectual, and indirect cultural. It was truly a historic moment for the Ratiu Family Foundation, the event’s sponsor, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and especially for Romania and the late Ion Ratiu, who in the context of this event and this illustrious intellectual Center, where knowledge and power meet, were given the dignified respect they deserve. The extremely well attended program was opened by Ambassador Joseph B. Gildenhorn, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of WWICS, followed by Mr. Nicolae Ratiu, the Chairman of the Board of the Ratiu Family Foundation who made an excel
