

The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government.
News and Views
Commentary from experts on the directions and challenges of democracy assistance programs.
| January 22, 2009 |
The Future of the Freedom Agenda?American University RadioRadio host Kojo Nnamdi and guests examine the state of democracy in regions across the world, and consider possible changes in U.S. policy on democracy assistance during the Obama presidency. Read More |
| January 15, 2009 |
Elections Aren't DemocracyThe Washington PostPresident Barack Obama, speaking to the Washington Post at a meeting before his inauguration. Read More |
| January 1, 2009 |
Democracy Assistance: Political vs. Developmental?Journal of DemocracyWriting in the Journal of Democracy, Thomas Carothers outlines how democracy-support providers have begun to move away from one-size-fits-all strategies, and spotlights two distinct overall approaches to democracy assistance that have recently emerged. Read More |
| January 1, 2009 |
The Myth of the Autocratic Revival: Why Liberal Democracy Will PrevailForeign AffairsIn a Foreign Affairs article, Daniel Deudney and G. John Ikenberry posit that neither China nor Russia offer sustainable alternatives to liberal democracy -- the pull of which, Deudney and Ikenberry argue, has become stronger than ever. Read More |
| January 1, 2009 |
Global Democracy Promotion: Seven Lessons for the New AdministrationThe Washington QuarterlyIn the Washington Quarterly, Representative David Price of North Carolina argues that democracy promotion remains a central plank of U.S. foreign policy, and suggests ways of rethinking its theory and practice in the years ahead. Read More |
| October 21, 2008 |
The Future of Democracy PromotionRadio Free Europe Radio LibertyRoger Potocki, Director for Europe and Eurasia at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), spoke about the changing face of democracy promotion in Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia during a visit to RFE/RL's Prague headquarters. Read More |
| October 20, 2008 |
U.S. Democracy Promotion During and After BushThe Brookings InstitutionThe Brookings Institution hosted a panel discussion on whether the U.S. should continue to promote democracy around the world following the end of the Bush administration. Read More |
| October 13, 2008 |
The Fall of America, Inc.NewsweekWriting for Newsweek, Francis Fukuyama discusses the discrediting of American ideas, both in terms of the US economic model and its role as a promoter of liberal democracy. Read More |
| October 1, 2008 |
The Next PresidentForeign AffairsRichard Holbrooke, writing in Foreign Affairs, discusses the challenges and tasks facing the person who is elected president of the U.S. in 2008, including restoring the U.S. to its position in world leadership and the foreign policy challenges posed by Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Read More |
| September 29, 2008 |
Democracy: If You Want to Free Your Country, First Liberate Its LandNewsweekIn an article in Newsweek, Fareed Zakaria presents an argument in favor of land reform as a first step in establishing democracy. Read More |


