USCET successfully organized the Central Party School (CPS) 2016 Fall Elections Institute in partnership with American University’s Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies (CCPS) and the United States Association of Former Members of Congress (FMC). Professor Jianfei Liu, Acting Director of the CPS Institute for International Strategic Studies (IISS), led a delegation of eight CPS scholars and staff to Washington, DC to participate in the Institute, which was designed to give participants the opportunity to experience the US political system firsthand. This was the first USCET/IISS collaboration held in the United States since the relationship started in 2006.
The CPS delegation visited Washington, DC on September 11-16, 2016 and participated in activities arranged by USCET and the program’s cosponsors designed to deepen the delegation members’ understanding of American politics and its electoral system. These activities included two days of academic seminars at American University, meetings with former and incumbent members of the US Congress, private discussions with “political insiders,” representatives of special interest and community groups, complemented by field visits to observe campaigns and meet elected officials in Maryland and Virginia.
USCET arranged for the CPS delegation to meet with some of the most renowned experts and practitioners in American politics and foreign policy to enhance the delegation’s understanding of the 2016 elections in the US and of American democracy. These experts included more than ten leading scholars of American presidential and congressional studies, eight former and one incumbent members of the US Congress, two state legislators, and more than ten leaders of civil society and ethnic groups. Some of the highlights from featured program items are included below:
Meeting with Former Members of Congress: In three roundtable panels with former members of the US Congress, delegation members were introduced to the legislative as well as campaign work of US lawmakers. There was also a discussion of the Congressional races and their implication for US-China relations.
- “Political Insider” Dinner: The CPS delegation joined Ambassador Nicholas Platt, former Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, former Congresswoman Connie Morella, Professor James Thurber, and Ambassador Julia Chang Bloch for a private dinner. Discussion included the balance between liberty and order, cultural differences, US-China relations, and the fall of the Soviet Union.
- CPS Delegation Team Presentation—Election Outcome Forecast: The CPS delegation members were asked to form three teams to present their forecast of the results for the 2016 presidential election based on what they had learned during the Institute. Through this exercise, participants were able to synthesize information from previous seminars and program events. They based their analyses on the battleground states framework. Each of the three teams arrived at separate conclusions on the outcome of the election.
- Meeting with Congressman John Delaney: CPS delegation members met with incumbent Member of Congress John Delaney of Maryland’s 6th District to discuss the impact of the 2016 election cycle’s influence on his legislative work. On the same day, delegation members also visited his congressional campaign headquarters in Maryland.
When the 2016 CPS Fall Elections Institute concluded, all participants reported that their understanding of the American electoral and democratic system had significantly increased. Senior CPS professors on the delegation advised USCET that they planned to integrate what they learned from the Fall Elections Institute into their regular teaching curriculum and that they hoped to set up new courses on American politics. Everyone expressed their desire for continued cooperation among USCET, the Central Party School, and the program’s cosponsors.
USCET与美利坚大学国会与总统研究中心（CCPS）和美国前国会议员协会（FMC）合作，成功组织了2016年中央党校秋季大选研究会。中央党校国际战略研究所代理所长刘建飞教授率领了一个由8位学者和工作人员组成的代表团前往美国华盛顿特区参加该研究会。该研究会旨在让与会者们有机会亲身体验美国的政治体系，这也是自2006年USCET与IISS建立合作关系以来的第一次真正意义上的合作。
中央党校的代表们9月11-16日访问了华盛顿特区，并参加了一系列由USCET和该项目共同发起人安排的活动，旨在加深代表团成员对美国政治以及选举制度的了解。这些活动包括在美利坚大学举行为期两天的主题研讨会、与美国国会前任和现任议员会面、与“政治圈内人”和特殊群体代表进行私下会面、并实地考察和参观在马里兰州以及弗吉尼亚州的竞选活动。
USCET安排中央党校的代表们与美国政治和外交领域最著名的专家和实践者们见面，以增进代表团对2016年美国选举美国民主的理解。这些专家包括十多位美国总统和国会研究的顶尖专家、八名前国会议员和一名现任国会议员、两名州议员以及十多位特殊群体领导人。以下是项目的一些亮点：
与前任国会议员会面：在与美国前任国会议员的三次圆桌会议上，代表团成员还了解了美国立法以及美国立法者的竞选工作。会议还讨论了国会选举及其对中美关系的影响。
与“政治圈内人”的晚宴：中央党校的代表们与Nicholas Platt大使、前美国劳工部长赵小兰、前国会女议员Connie Morella、James Thurber教授以及张之香大使一起参加私人晚宴。晚宴上还讨论了自由与秩序之间的平衡、文化差异、中美关系和苏联解体。
中央党校代表的演讲–选举结果预测：中央党校的代表们被分成三个小组，根据他们在研究会上学到的知识，提出他们对2016总统大选结果的预测。通过这个练习，参与者能够综合以前的研讨会和活动的信息。他们的分析会基于真实选举情况去预测，三个小组各自就选举情况得出各自的结论。
与国会议员John Delaney的会面：中央党校的代表团成员与马里兰州第6区现任国会议员John Delaney进行了会面，讨论2016年选举周期对他立法工作的影响。在同一天，代表团成员们还去了Delaney议员在马里兰国会竞选的总部参观。
当2016中央党校秋季选举研究会结束的时候，所有参与者都表示他们对美国选举和民主制度有了更深的理解。中央党校代表团中的高级教授建议USCET将他们从秋季选举研究会中学到的知识整合到常规课程里面，并且希望可以开设关于美国政治的新课程。每一位都表达了他们未来希望还能继续与USCET、中央党校和项目共同发起人合作的愿望。