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News and Views

Commentary from experts on the directions and challenges of democracy assistance programs.


October 27, 2010	Haiti: The Stakes of the Post-Quake Elections International Crisis Group A report released by the International Crisis Group highlights the many challenges Haiti faces in conducting what it calls, “the most important elections in its history.” The report also makes a number of recommendations as to how Haitian authorities and the international community can ensure a credible election and pave the way for a smooth transition for the new government. “The government that emerges will need to manage a major part of the decade of recovery from the worst disaster ever in the Western Hemisphere,” the report says. “To do so, it requires the legitimacy that can only come from credible elections.” Read More
October 19, 2010	Finding Meaning in the Egyptian Elections The Huffington Post Writing in the Huffington Post, Amr Hamzawy, research director at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, looks at the challenges facing Egyptians in the upcoming elections, and at the dilemma that opposition parties face on whether to participate in or boycott the elections. "The boycott-participation divide speaks to the fundamental challenges and limited opportunities that the opposition has faced during Mubarak's presidency. On the one hand, the regime maintains a stranglehold on electoral competition to ensure the NDP's hegemony over legislative bodies, but on the other hand it gives the opposition the opportunity for limited political participation through elections and parliamentary activity." Read More
October 4, 2010	Will Obama's Foreign Policy Follow his New Democracy Rhetoric? The Washington Post Addressing the U.N. General Assembly, President Obama emphasized the importance of supporting democracy, especially encouraging young democracies to make democracy support part of their own foreign policy agendas. In the Washington Post, Fred Hiatt sees this as an encouraging sign, but emphasizes that the Obama administration must incorporate democracy support into its own foreign policy agenda, not just with words, but with actions. Read More
October 3, 2010	Myanmar's Sham Election The New York Times Nick Clegg, deputy prime minister of Britain, urges his counterparts in other European countries not to ignore the injustices of the upcoming elections in Burma. While acknowledging that in many ways it is easier to commend the ruling military power for holding elections at all, it is is unacceptable to the 55 million Burmese people who live in fear and poverty. He encourages the international community to continue sanctions and pressure until political prisoners are released and elections that allow all parties to compete can be held. Read More
September 30, 2010	An Election Not Worthy of Support International Herald Tribune Writing in the International Herald Tribune, Win Tin, a founder of Burma's National League for Democracy party and former political prisoner, encourages the international community to stop supporting Burma's flawed elections. He argues that the rules of the election have already been written to ensure a military victory, and that the international community need not wait until after the Nov. 9 polls to reject the electoral process. "We refuse to abandon our aspirations for democracy in Burma and give the regime the legitimacy it wants for its elections. With millions of people of Burma supporting our position, we hoped the international community would understand the regime's intentions as clearly as we do and pressure the regime to stop its unilateral and undemocratic process." Read More
September 20, 2010	Democracy Still Matters International Herald Tribune In the International Herald Tribune, Roger Cohen makes the case that, though "the borderline between democracy and authoritarianism grows more opaque," democracy it remains necessary to support and strengthen democracies. "It's important to stanch the anti-democratic tide. Thugs and oppression ride on it." Read More
August 25, 2010	A War-Crimes Commission Could Help Lead Burma to Democracy The Washington Post Responding to an oped in the Washington Post, David Clair Williams, executive director of the Center for Constitutional Democracy at Indiana University, argues in favor of a commission of inquiry as a way to help the Burmese people further their fight for democracy. "A commission of inquiry would help the people of Burma in several ways. First, it would cost the junta hard-liners some political support at home and abroad, making a transition to democracy more possible. Second, an inquiry into the conduct of higher-ranking officers would make lower-ranking officers think twice before committing atrocities themselves. Third, an inquiry might be the first step in bringing justice to the victims of the junta's atrocities." Read More
August 23, 2010	Moribund Legislature Part 3 Liberian Observer In the Liberian Observer, John K. Forpka and Stephen Binda look at ways the legislature could be more efficient and effective by using better technology and research services. The article goes on to cite NDI projects such as the new legislative library and archives that will help the Liberian legislature in these matters. Read More
July 15, 2010	Promoting Democracy a Critical Effort The Hill We must draw a distinction between activities designed to strengthen democratic institutions where they already exist and those designed to reform or replace nondemocratic ones. Both may have a place in our foreign policy, but when we conflate the two, we risk undermining both,” they write. The piece was inspired by a recent trip to Liberia, one of the House Democracy Partnership countries, where Price and Dreier spent their Fourth of July. Read More
June 20, 2010	Old Players and New in the Bahraini Elections Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Abdellah al-Derazi, secretary general of the Bahrain Human Rights Society, analyzes the political situation in the lead up to Bahraini parliamentary elections. Al-Derazi sees many of the same political influences at work as in the 2006 parliamentary elections and predicts a similar outcome. He does see some differences though, including an increase in political participation from business people and women, and the opposition's advocating for reforms to the electoral law. "It is too early to predict the elections' outcome, but it is safe to assume that many of the same players will continue to dominate, perhaps with a greater role played by businesspeople, many of whom are liberals. And the new parliament will take up many of the same issues, such as housing, unemployment, security, public properties, health, and social security." Read More