tonight. instagram. never agreed with anything until the republicans in the house and senate and the president decided to cut the retirement benefits for active duty of 20 years we got together to help change that law because it was wrong it was very, very wrong and live seagrams gm's in my mind for a very strong military he served only to candidates have the instagram and rick perry. that is the experience that made major label and may elevate dan sullivan of alaska or the three warriors never recently elected to the vice presidential role the nixon played it to nominate someone of great experience they may take a swing on the warriors in the senate because they will bring real world experience.

to have to quickly talk about mike huckabee he is the best report -- storyteller he is charming and wonderful i saw him in the hallways in the morning out of my hotel room he was walking down the hallway in did not miss a beat. how are you? mrs. huckabee was with him i don't expect to be recognized everybody calls me dennis anyway. [laughter] by the way he is a very bad man. dell by his book the 10 commandments is because it is a bat and ball dash a best seller i warned her about that i suggest because of their experience to

identify as a native she did work the back roads like mike huckabee did. body general -- body is the only one that speaks faster than i do. he has trouble getting traction early on but what that space he sued the federal government over common core that is his issue the most explosive domestic policy issue i have seen arrive on the political scene in 25 years and the beats have no idea how badly screwed up whole market is at the kitchen table and there is nothing worse than a mom and dad who can to second grade math and they are mad and this is an issue growing and bobby jindal gore readily embraced as did governor bush and governor huckabee, they all did the then governor walker but it

ain't working and bobby jindal has stepped up to sue the federal government because they checked over with a consortium that now has their financial interest and he took get on that is the secret strength and i warned her about that. the greatest governor is john kasich 17 state of the union we don't count those born from virginia on english soil. [laughter] they invented flight the first man to step off this planet on to another from ohio he is brilliant and full of energy he makes decisions that doesn't go down well with the teapartier my advice is every single sentence bring at medicaid expansion to that again and again in a

general election he kerry 86 every the county's in ohio. blue-collar deep blue and gm loving uaw united steelworker employees why? because he is an incredible and gifted politician she does not want to run against them so she has to talk up the medicaid broken arm all the time to remind the voters if he is on the ticket no president has won the presidency without ohio remember florida virginia ohio that is a big advantage. george pataki and he does not deserve to be skipped. he stood up when america was flat on its back lady in a time of crisis his appeal to

bipartisanship is the same as people who walk across the aisle but he did it. rand paul is in the era of surveillance the worst national security area with more than 20 million files including my own. as is the background as a witness protection program all with the opm files that were hacked and as was confirmed mrs. clinton was from the chinese asking them to find out of those 20,000 emails. [laughter]

[applause] but that creeping concern is what powers rand paul with his deep ethnic of creches service he goes on medical mission is to give free eye surgery he walks the walk and is the real deal. verizon the islamic state has eclipsed sun with his anti-interventionist talk. governor kerry was my guest today the most underestimated with rick santorum for scott walker said to be the past come up with a name for the future. watch out he has been around the track and has done this before he made mistakes and can improve the is not running after back surgery he does shoot coyotes and he is a texan and if not for them we would have negative

job growth over the last six and a half years he will remind you of that into the key is really good. he has glasses just like mine. [laughter] marco rubio was described the hottest commodity the flavor of the month. hot white? f never seen a more gifted orator i'll look at the back of the room the wait staff comes out. y? this happens with ted cruz also because they see their son or daughter at the front of the room because his father worked the back if you have never interviewed someone you know, how impressive this is i have done many long interviews was and rubio instant and total command and recall of which i asked the never has notes and is never at all

laws he shares this with ted cruz and amazing eloquence and depth of preparation and when he speaks in spanish as does governor bush by harnessing is. you realize in the last campaign of lot of american citizens consume most of their media in spanish most of those live in virginia florida ohio and especially colorado. virginia ohio and florida led by margins roughly 100,000 votes of president obama colorado went to obama by 120,000 of a much smaller number it was a blowout almost 5% the others were 1%. why? because of the latino vote spanish consuming american citizens who are very intelligent want to know the

republican party and understands like the irish american is and i tied americans before them of what never variety wish to be respected for their ethnicity and culture to be involved in the political process. seven / one mitt romney was outspent he has told me the biggest mistake of the 2012 campaign was not to address the spanish-language media we cannot make that mistake again for komer rubio greater strength is there so i advised mrs. clinton to taken out. [laughter] opposition research what a surprise where is that coming from? speeding tickets for gore really? the fishing boat they called a speedboat? that he had the big mortgage

and student debt? they have identified him as one of the greatest threats and are trying to reduce him. rick santorum truth be told is most likely of anyone in the race as an italian catholic from western pennsylvania sadly is the steelers fan. [laughter] but i would brainstorm with him when he wrote his book he is a couple years younger and he speaks to the reagin democrats he won iowa for reason people like him in a small room. but he won pennsylvania twice. omaha donald trump i already spoke about.

when they bring a skill set that is hard to replicate when he talks people listen and he talks bluntly and people listen like ross perot could grow. to more. and not endorsing flip the coin want them both. that is what i hear the most. to make crucial improvements is likely to be a secretary of defense it comes on once a week on though walker foreign policy team.

'' ted i every candidate. but i ask o'brien why did you go with walker? he won three times a reading the left throws a.m. and o'brien was part of team romney has been around the block and skis -- a season walker a call it -- a quality what is the best drink she is indestructible. [laughter] the most resilient political figure in america she is like queen elizabeth. but growth or to england for popes and one queen. she has been here since 1982

like that cornea implant nobody told you that you had in the field division since 1982 think of all of the scandals the grandmother of obamacare she was hillary care and it did not stick she got up off the floor after the defeat the scandals and she branded new york she is good. she really did care about children's health and is a great mom and wonderful grandmother and a dreadful candidate but she doesn't have to engage with the american media wants her to win they have money and most of the media have the machine and the map.

but mostly they have her resilience she really cannot absorb anything. i want to ask the question to help the republican voters to understand who is best equipped to beat hillary clinton? that is what matters the most what defies the party right now? what about the drug law? some say yes or no would you break the of rules of the senate to filibuster to appeal obamacare? there are issues that divide in the final analysis why are you the one?

because the other stuff is secondary. thanks for coming out tonight. [applause]

>> i am so excited to be here in thank you to c-span2 cover the national book festival is a beautiful day i hope the camera shows how huge the crowds are. >> one thing to remember cannot be said too often they are the exception. [laughter] >> this is a wonderful event heaven has gone outside today the young people and not the leader of tomorrow i am a leader of today we have read the map butted is not a chasm the political

scientist the idea the country itself the something that ought to be recorded and passed on to the next generation. to try to understand. >> talking about taipan you did not talk that much about what. so why? to read this is a great question because at the heart of almost all the questions that we talk about gets to the point we realized there is no way we could tell the whole story. shortage of encyclopedia or to have a story read like a telephone book and of course, the telephone book is not a story.

>> when i was is moscow all there were 13 women in my class of 500 today is 5058. >> to understand to profit against the public good and his view of wilderness areas that belong to the american people for generations unborn to be handed on to weaken the spirit and while i love reading i never thought i would write a book certainly no one about myself.

and to get the story before it is today. who both came together and after hearing them the daughter said to the father i am taking you to the coffee shop now and you will tell me the story. with the health and service role that will be quite a change i think that was justice. there are things wrong with the health care bill that what johnson would have said about the civil rights bill that was very flawed but the important thing is to pass it then it is easy to go back to fix it.

>> and then to bring back the debt i try to do that with two you are familiar with like the eisenhowers but also others are less familiar like general roosevelt years reckitt this stage of my life i cannot afford another 10 years on fillmore or franklin pierce. and that is what i care about underneath it all. >> to have the questions called in from c-span.

>> good morning i am pleased to welcome you to this morning discussion and. for the international foundation which is better known as my organization works to advance the governors by providing technical assistance to stakeholders across the globe workingman countries undergoing democratic transition from those emerging from post conflict to those experiencing consolidation. we are working to empower the under represented including the use of women and persons with

disabilities and other marginalized groups to participate fully in a political process and we apply a research to apply all aspects of the electoral cycle as part of the political process. in support of our work p.m. programming and more than 145 countries. worldwide and currently more than 30 offices in various countries. our organization's vision is a world in which strong democratic institutions in power all citizens to have a voice in the way their government. through our programming reemphasized that engaging young people in the political process is critical to a country's democratic tell them the culture of democracy exist

when citizens are informed with democratic principles to translate that knowledge into action such as community service and leadership. with that commitment to future democratic health in mind we implement youth programs around the world to foster understanding a citizen's rights and responsibilities in a pluralistic society to create a culture of the engagement for those who have not yet reached the voting age in their country for that we work to provide training and tools and opportunities for newly enfranchised voters to participate in elections and advocate for positive change within their communities. considering the challenges young people face around the globe to day including the

serious threat of radicalization, these programs are more vital than ever. i have a very personal connection to our work with you as a started my career almost 25 years ago as a peace corps volunteer working in post-communist poland. a work of high school age students doing research with other youth in the south caucuses and at that time primarily working to combat apathy or disorientation for the young people to the rights and responsibilities cover new the realize at that time and i am proud to be part of an organization that takes these issues seriously given the new

threats that we face 20 years later. with that of a bite to introduce our moderator for the session serving as our technical lead on you think age mitt and helps us to design used specific programs working and other initiatives please join me to welcome her and i look forward to reliably conversation from my other colleagues as well. [applause] >> now i am in paris. [laughter] thank you for that kind introduction the queue to the congresswoman sheila jackson lee forepart during with us and giving support for this event we are pleased to be here to discuss the topic of you

think each meant to illustrate the challenges. >> of the to invitees audience to tweet one more housekeeping comment we will save questions until after the panel has a chance to respond. and i am joined on the panel today who between them have

a wealth of regional and technical expertise the deputy regional director her portfolio's spans our technical areas including programs that address election violence among other topics. those that have substantial civic education and our senior gender's specialists is responsible for the global gender program for justice for equal rights of women around the world the deputy regional director of the division that provides expertise on the conflict of security strategy and program development thanks to all of you for joining me

here today. our discussion talks however serves to radicalization of a quick definition from the working group from where they are indoctrinated with a set of future goals so it is the understanding of that term throw the discussion today. per research suggest the risk is no single path tour radicalization of publicly do to a confluence of factors that might compel an individual to radicalize. however such alienation from

political marginal as asian and the lack of opportunity as cited as to contribute to radicalism and might devi's influences the think tanks and other organizations are especially concerned of the status of youth and to examine what this might be the case to assemble notes about demographics could provide some of the motivation on this topic according to recent figures more than half of the world's population is under 30 years of age the vast majority of living countries with the emerging in developing economies in democracies. many are the ones where we work. asia has the largest number of young people profit

three-quarters of a billion paul sub-saharan africa has the largest population under 30 which is roughly 70 percent. also something else to note what talking about facts and figures there is no one single definition of view among practitioners usaid defines use between 10 and 29 years of age to encompass into the use charter means to every person between the ages of 15 and 35 years reflect on that for just of moment think of yourself of 15 in present day that developmental gap is huge.

so our purpose use is best understood as a period of transition from childhood to the independence of adulthood that is a fluid category rather than a fixed age group it is designed to address to a distinct cohorts' young people have not yet reached the age to vote versus those who have. so the hallmark rummages 18 years elsewhere there are different voting ages seven through 21 down at 16 this is one other reasons as an institution region not remark on a particular age to define categories of

youth. in light of those statistics it is clear they speak for themselves to justify why it is critical for the needs globally revealing and insights around democracy and democratic participation which do is critical to ensure that citizens' needs are addressed some finding suggests they are not fully engaged in that democratic process in the country for according to the 2015 survey nearly 40% of the african youth never discussed politics with friends or family is 60 percent have never contacted a local official for community issues there indicators that participation of the engaged citizenry the number-one

findings from their recent survey indicates young people in the middle east think it could never work in their region. when asked about the top priority to frequently indicate that there will contribute to society in a meaningful way. the report released earlier this month with a statement san recommendations conducted over the past few years in addition to the large and regional polls that i mentioned a moment ago. . .

programs are in the world western understanding. this is of particular importance and programs and for those that have not read yet reach the voting age in their country. it suggests that early intervention helps establish and submit lifelong pattern. with this framework in mind i'd like to turn to our panelists for some discussion. thank you for humoring me there, we are all here to discuss how our work contributes to youth development broadly. i like to pose a question and perhaps a question for each panelist. in your opinion, what is the most persistent challenges in terms of civic and political and gauge meant confronting people in your region.

>> good morning everybody. let me think a gust of for moderate and are very grueling and very wide discussion today. i i also think the office of congress woman for hosting the event today. in terms of the middle east and north africa where he worked, most of us know what some of the basic challenges are. before are. before the revolution took place in 2011 and continue to exist even now. for example, the youth bulge, it's an issue that continues to be prevalent in the middle east and north africa. in some countries as much as 70% of the

population is under the age of 30, in most of the middle east in fact anna north africa, the population age continues to be under the age of 25. 50% or more are under the age of 25. this will continue for at least another decade and will have a large effect on people in the middle east and north africa. also tied with this is lack of education and high levels of youth unemployment which may range in countries between 25 and 40%. it is something that many young people were protesting about initially, yet we see unemployment is actually increased in the countries. tied with this is many young people are unable to get jobs, unable to get married and have families. this can have can have a big impact on their psychology. specifically in regards to civic and voter education, political engagement engagement therefore points to bring up. first, prior to the revolution in 2011 many people in the countries had not had any sort of experience with a democracy.

the concept of democracy was fairly new. even those countries where election was held, a lot, a lot of this is very service-level. institutions didn't know how to make true elections that had integrity and complying with international norms. individuals didn't understand the notion of citizenship and even after the revolution, even those something they wanted to be do they wanted to be cynically avenue div, they did know how didn't know how to translate this concept into positive change. many organizations wanted to focus on youth or advocating, they didn't really have a tools and the means to do that. tied with this, even after 2011 there is a lack of reaching out to the youth by the authorities. even though you thought was a large part of the revolution, to see that translate into having any sort of voice within governments or advocating with

governments, for example political parties are still run by primarily people who are older than the youth age. we also have presidents in these countries are well beyond the age and the median youth age. for example in yemen the president is four times the median age of 14.5. i think young people have increasingly lacked trust in the democratic process. as augustine mentioned earlier, the youth survey shows clearly that less youth think democracy will work in their country compared to 2012 when there is a high number of 72% who had hoped for democracy and now only 38% say there's a potential for there's a potential for democracy to work in the region.

i think we see lack of trust in government continuing and lack of trust in democracy itself. finally we should mention that political institutions are weak. this has allowed many nonstate actors to move inches we have seen the emergence of groups like isis, al qaeda, they're moving into space and taking control and increasingly starting to radicalize and recruit youth to some highly skilled methods. those are some of the main reasons that civic and political engagement has not been very strong. this doesn't mean that it's bad news. part of what we see in the youth survey is that there's still optimism optimism in the region, they're still optimistic about their future, they still see countries like the u.s. as allies. i think this is something we could potentially make in our favor.

additionally, youth it doesn't always need to be an issue if it's accompanying with strong policies as we have seen in korea and japan. youth votes could end up being a positive and not a negative in the skin country. >> there so many follow-up questions i want to ask about some other things you mentioned but i think it would be helpful to have some other regional comments and then follow up on some of these challenges. are any of the challenges you've seen in your program similar or widely different from some of the issues that was just highlighted question mark. >> good morning everyone. i think a lot of the issues that are raised are very similar to what we see in africa.

i think what i would like to add to the discussion in terms of the challenges and thinking specifically about africa and more specifically about central africa, to me one of the challenges is sort of a general failure of the state and the state institution to deliver economic growth, better opportunities. that sort of undermines any link that you may try to create between engagement and improvement in your own life. that is essentially a major challenge. along with that the fact that there are a lot of political actors that are sort of looking to instrumental lies youth to

further their own political gain and offer an immediate access to some authority. it raises a really fundamental question, how do you support the long game, or how do you make the hot long game of democratic and economic development more attractive when there are these actors that are providing a much more instant gratification? >> thank you do you have anything you would like to add. >> sure, the light on my microphone doesn't work but i'm trusting it works. there are a few things i want to add to the things said previously. in asia one of the largest concerns is the lack of a chance to be heard. ways to engage in issues that

youth determine to be in porton and others do not turn to be important on the behalf of youth. we see see some of the same things the level of apathy, and and a survey cited new% of young people said they don't care about politics. 30% said they are slightly interested in politics. there's a high level of political violence and countries, there's a bit of disagreement on how power is transferred within country. this is that the essence of the electoral process and how change can happen through official channels. when this it disagreement comes used see high levels of disagreement and high levels of apathy. this leads to the movement to take violent actions that we're talking about earlier. in in some countries we working, unlike the middle east, there's a sen