Like many in the world, the San Diego Diplomacy Council watched the assault against the U.S Capitol building, the temple of our democracy and a model for many societies around the world, with horror and sadness. The San Diego Diplomacy Council is a non-partisan organization, but what happened on January 6th, 2021 is an attack against all democracies around the world and against our values as an organization. We also recognize that this tragic event has happened after an already difficult year when we’ve been coping with the largest global health crisis in a century, and horrifying acts of racial violence against our fellow citizens of color. These concurrent realities have been extraordinarily painful.
In times like these, we are reminded of the importance of our mission to promote dialogue over violence and democratic models over dictatorships. For more than forty years, we have carried international exchange programs to assist emerging and current leaders around the world who are fighting to build democratic societies.
Last week’s attack and the events leading to it have confirmed the constant evolution of our democratic model and the shared responsibility to support and defend it as civic organizations. This is why, we, at the San Diego Diplomacy Council, feel the urgency to continuously share our experiences, challenges, and solutions with our partners around the world on issues including the rule of law, a free press, government transparency; and accountability, and the electoral process that have been under attack for many years.
As we move forward as a country, we recognize that our mission of bringing diverse perspectives together to address common global issues has never been more important. In 2021, we are committed to promoting resilience, dialogue, and peace at home and abroad.
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