The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) and the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) jointly organized a launch event for the release of a new report, Global Swing States: Brazil, India, Indonesia, Turkey and the Future of International Order. Held on November 27, the event featured Under Secretary of State Robert D. Hormats and GMF Transatlantic Fellow Jennifer Hillman as well as the report authors Dr. Daniel M. Kliman of GMF and Richard Fontaine of CNAS.  Ted Piccone, Senior Fellow and Deputy Director for Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution, served as moderator.

The event began with a short presentation of the report. Fontaine explained why Brazil, India, Indonesia, and Turkey are global swing states and why this concept offers a new framework for thinking about these four powers. Kliman outlined the report’s main recommendations for U.S. engagement and framed the pursuit of closer ties with these rising democracies as the best path forward in a world of uncertainty. In his remarks, Secretary Hormats underscored the critical influence of global swing states on the future shape of the world economy. Hillman unpacked some of the challenges the four pose to the world trade order.

 The discussion among the panelists included questions about the selection of the four as global swing states, how U.S. engagement of these rising democracies relates to the rise of China, and whether these pivotal powers will fully uphold the human rights order. Questions from the audience included how to ensure a sustained U.S. focus on global swings states and what role the private sector should play in America’s engagement strategy.