Barack vs Mitt: US Elections 2012 in Florence

FLORENCE, ITALY – To mark the U.S. Presidential Elections of 6 November 2012, the RFK Training Institute of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights Europe, in collaboration with the Consulate of the United States of America in Florence, is organizing the event US elections 2012 in Florence.

The main goals are to enhance the understanding of the U.S. role in promoting human rights; to assess the different scenarios if Mitt Romney or if Barack Obama are elected; to compare their electoral programs to that of Robert Kennedy; and to compare the roles of the U.S. and of Europe (the EU and its Member States) in the promotion of human rights.

The event is made up of two parts. The first part is a seminar that will take place on 5 and 6 November in which approximately 20 – 25 Italian students (including the Libera Università degli Studi Sociali Guido Carli LUISS, Rome; LUISS School of Government, Rome; Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi, Milan; Università degli Studi di Firenze – Facoltà di Scienze Politiche) and approximately 20 – 25 US students enrolled in U.S. Universities in Italy (including the Syracuse University, Florence; the Harding University, Scandicci; the Johns Hopkins University Bologna Center; the Gonzaga University, Florence) will participate. Professors from some of these universities teach courses on international, political, economic, social, and legal aspects of the event topic.

The second part of the event is a more extended and fluid session in which experts, students, representatives of the Republican and Democratic Parties, journalists, and others, on location and via the internet, discuss the elections and, once they become available, the projections and the results. This session will take place the evening of 6 and the early morning of 7 November.

The event will take place in the Auditorium of Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze in via Folco Portinari in Florence.

The event is organized with the financial support of the Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze. The event has the patronage of the U.S. Consolate in Florence; the Tuscan Region; and the City of Florence. The event is organized in cooperation with the Libera Università degli Studi Sociali Guido Carli LUISS, Rome; the LUISS School of Government, Rome; the Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi, Milan; the Università degli Studi di Firenze – Facoltà di Scienze Politiche; and the Association of American College and University Programs in Italy (AACUPI). The organizers thank also I Meridiani; Immaginae; and Powered by Streamago.

Live Streaming of the electoral night will be starting here on rfkennedyeurope.org on November 6th, 9 PM Florence time – 3 PM EST.