DPC talks with Mike Henning (Baku/DC)

Mike Henning spent 31 years working for USAID on democracy promotion, human rights and other issues around the world. He was among the first Democracy Officers hired in the mid 90s to support the values of democratic participation as the world was settling following the end of the Cold War. On the other side of his career, he had a front row seat when the Trump administration enabled Elon Musk to destroy the congressionally established USAID, and dismantled an agency that has been a key element of America's soft power - contributing to comprehensive security - for decades.

Our conversation is sprawling, but focuses on lessons he has learned from his work around the world on how to fight authoritarian trends, government corruption and self-dealing, and to push back against efforts by elites to create a system in which citizens feel that there is nothing they can do to change things. We talked about how labor unions and other collective acts of solidarity can create opportunities for reform. Some of our conclusions are familiar to many who have done work on democracy and development either in their hometown or abroad - empowerment and community engagement are necessary to create a system in which people feel that their elected representatives work for them.