National Democratic Institute


03/14/2013	Obama must push – not just praise – Jordan's efforts at democratic reform Christian Science Monitor Cole Blockenfeld, director of advocacy at the Project on Middle East Democracy, argues that reforms instituted for Jordan’s Jan. 2013 parliamentary elections were “only minor technical and administrative improvements to the voting process” rather than fundamental reforms that require the monarchy to share power. According to Blockenfeld, who participated in an NDI election observation delegation, too much praise from the U.S. for “modest steps” made to improve the elections are detrimental, because they give the monarchy the impression that these small changes are enough. “For a country that prides itself on being stable, progressive, and a dependable ally of the West, Jordan must do more to meet the high bar it sets for itself. US praise for limited reforms not only reinforces a hollow and fragile process, it is also a strategic miscalculation in a volatile region.” Read More
02/28/2013	The Resistible Rise of the Islamists? National Democratic Institute During a recent discussion hosted by the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Middle East Program, Les Campbell, NDI director for Middle East and North Africa programs, joined Marina Ottaway, a Woodrow Wilson Center senior scholar, to talk about recent electoral victories by Islamists in the Middle East and North Africa and how this affects the region’s opposition movements. During the event, Campbell noted that “street politics” as the only way to challenge Islamists posed a danger to democracy in countries like Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco, where there is not a strong functioning opposition. Campbell touched on some of the reasons that secular parties struggle in Egypt, including an unwillingness to do tough campaign work, a belief that the international community will pressure Islamists to include them and a fear of putting resources into elections whose results could be cancelled. He also discussed governing challenges that the Islamists face, especially in Egypt, due to issues like lack of governing experience and a disconnect with the economic elite. Campbell argued that the international community should engage secular Egyptian political parties, and make it clear to the Islamists that they are willing to pressure them to follow democratic practices. Read a full summary of the event here. Read More
02/28/2013	Women's Political Participation in Libya: Quotas as a Key Strategy for States in Transition National Democratic Institute At a recent Global Gender Forum event “Getting More Women into Political Office: What Works?” Megan Doherty, program manager for NDI Middle East and North Africa programs, discussed women’s political participation in Libya. The event was co-sponsored by the George Washington University's Global Gender Program and NDI. During her remarks, Doherty shared her experiences living in Libya over the past year working with women, youth and public opinion research programs. She discussed the very limited role women were able to play in politics before the fall of the Gadaffi regime, the successes women had in last July’s historic elections and the role of the women’s quota in furthering women’s representation. “The election of 33 women to the [General National Congress] GNC is a significant accomplishment and provides Libyan women with access to decision-making structures that previously eluded or ignored them...More broadly, Libya’s unfolding political transition continues to offer the country an unprecedented opportunity to address both the inequities in political institutions and the harmful perceptions of women’s role in public life.” View the accompanying presentation here. Doherty’s remarks were based on her recent paper “Libyan Women in the 2012 National Elections.” Read the full paper here. Read More
02/05/2013	Reform or Else Peacefare.net Les Campbell, NDI regional director for Middle East and North Africa programs, and Danya Greenfield of the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East participated in a recent discussion at the Middle East Institute about the challenges Jordan faces after the Jan. 23 parliamentary elections. Technical improvements such as standardized ballots resulted in progress from previous elections, but the King still hasn’t instituted meaningful reform. “Both Campbell and Greenfield came to the same conclusion: the King must demonstrate his commitment to reform to boost Jordanian confidence in the future. Perhaps the King’s abstention from tampering with the Parliament’s upcoming selection of the Prime Minister will represent the perfect opportunity.” Read More
01/30/2013	Crisis in Mali KQED - San Francisco Public Radio Michael Krasny, host of "Forum" on KQED public radio in San Francisco, discusses the conflict in Mali, its effect on the stability of the region and the role of the United States. The show's guests include Christopher Fomunyoh, NDI regional director for Central and Western Africa; Mamadou Diallo, regional manager for West Africa with Freedom from Hunger; Mark Quarterman, director of research for The Enough Project, which fights to end genocide and crimes against humanity; Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, international correspondent for NPR; and John Campbell, senior fellow or Africa policy studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of “Nigeria: Dancing on the Brink.” Listen to the program here. Read More
01/24/2013	Loyalists to Dominate Jordan’s New Parliament The New York Times Jordan’s Jan. 23 parliamentary elections resulted in a new 150-member Parliament largely dominated by government loyalists and “tribal figures who run patronage networks.” Some observers complained that the election commission's rules gave an advantage to rural districts with strong government support. “To the growing protest movement, the country’s weak legislators have come to symbolize the divisive policies of the government and the reluctance of Jordan’s rulers to yield power.” Nonetheless, international observers saw improvements in this election—the first since the start of the Arab uprisings—over previous elections “which were widely seen as rigged.” NDI’s 50-person observation delegation noted positive changes like preprinted ballots and improved voter processing procedures. But the delegation also said that the elections are still “‘profoundly local contests where candidates are elected as service providers and representatives of parochial interests, rather than national legislators able to hold the executive branch to account or propose laws.’” Read More
01/22/2013	Women Gaining Political Power in Burkina Faso Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) In Burkina Faso, where women have traditionally been left out of politics, NDI and other organizations have helped give women a stronger voice by educating them about the political process. NDI’s programs focus on increasing the number of women who run for office, and helping them learn how to govern once they are elected. Aminata Kassé, NDI resident director for Burkina Faso, said that “'the newly elected women have been better at integrating women’s needs in politics, as well as access to micro-credit, access to clean water and at creating markets to sell locally grown vegetables.’” “Events in recent years have led to a general change of attitude towards female politicians in Burkina Faso. People in the rural areas have seen positive results under female leadership and a greater number of women are climbing the political hierarchy. The NDI’s work has only just begun.” Read More
01/18/2013	Preserve Programs that Promote Democracy Abroad POLITICO As Congress continues to scrutinize the federal budget, we should “further integrate the themes of democracy and good governance into our international development dialogue,” rather than decrease democracy support programs, writes Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State and NDI chairman, along with former White House Chief of Staff John Podesta, former U.S. Congressman Vin Weber and Daniel F. Runde, director of the Project on Prosperity and Development at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The bipartisan group notes that “democracy helps to create a virtuous circle of improved security, stronger economic growth, and more durable international alliances,” and that any budget resolution should maintain the commitment to “nurturing democracy around the globe.” The group cites Burma as an example of what long-term support for democracy and good governance can achieve. However, there is still considerable work to be done both in Burma and in regions around the world going through democratic transitions such as the Middle East, large parts of Africa and Southeast Asia. “As we know from our own history, democratic progress is untidy and uneven, but vastly superior to any alternative because it reflects the hopes and aspirations of the people." Read More
12/14/2012	NPR Examines Egyptian Protests Over Draft Constitution NPR Protests Continue In Egypt Over Draft Constitution Ahead of the Dec. 15 referendum vote on a draft Egyptian constitution, NPR reports that critics in the country continued to protest the draft, saying that is was hastily written and gives too much power to the military and presidency, among other issues. Since many judges who would normally be in charge of monitoring the referendum are boycotting it, there is also concern about the fairness and accuracy of the poll, which is being split into two stages. Western observers won't be monitoring the poll either. Les Campbell, director of Middle East and North Africa programs at NDI, says that without knowing important information like where voting will occur or where ballots will be counted, it is impossible for Westerners to effectively monitor the vote, and that it makes more sense to delay the poll. “You’d be walking into a situation where it would be very difficult to be perceived as neutral or independent,” Campbell said. Listen to the updated segment from Dec. 15 here. Read More
12/03/2012	What can parliaments add to the Open Government Partnership? OpeningParliament.org In advance of the Steering Committee Meeting of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), a group of nearly 60 governments that have committed to promote more transparency to improve oversight by citizens and civil society groups, NDI’s Dan Swislow reflects on the role parliaments can play in making sure OGP commitments are being implemented. While OGP has engaged both civil society and the public in developing its guiding principles, and is aimed primarily at the executive branch of government, members of parliament (MPs) also need to be engaged in the conversation “if the goal of OGP is not only to improve the quality of government service delivery, but also to improve the quality of our democracies.” “When the OGP’s Steering Committee meets this week to plan future OGP work and to consider options for overseeing the implementation of OGP commitments, it will also have an opportunity to begin thinking about creative ways of broadening the growing coalition for open governments — and open parliaments. The range of options for increased dialogue with and engagement of parliamentarians are broad and, eventually, will need to be developed in partnership with parliaments and the associations that represent them. However, it is not too early to begin to strengthen this conversation.” Read More

03/14/2013

Obama must push – not just praise – Jordan's efforts at democratic reform

Christian Science Monitor

Cole Blockenfeld, director of advocacy at the Project on Middle East Democracy, argues that reforms instituted for Jordan’s Jan. 2013 parliamentary elections were “only minor technical and administrative improvements to the voting process” rather than fundamental reforms that require the monarchy to share power. According to Blockenfeld, who participated in an NDI election observation delegation, too much praise from the U.S. for “modest steps” made to improve the elections are detrimental, because they give the monarchy the impression that these small changes are enough.

“For a country that prides itself on being stable, progressive, and a dependable ally of the West, Jordan must do more to meet the high bar it sets for itself. US praise for limited reforms not only reinforces a hollow and fragile process, it is also a strategic miscalculation in a volatile region.”

02/28/2013

The Resistible Rise of the Islamists?

National Democratic Institute

During a recent discussion hosted by the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Middle East Program, Les Campbell, NDI director for Middle East and North Africa programs, joined Marina Ottaway, a Woodrow Wilson Center senior scholar, to talk about recent electoral victories by Islamists in the Middle East and North Africa and how this affects the region’s opposition movements.

During the event, Campbell noted that “street politics” as the only way to challenge Islamists posed a danger to democracy in countries like Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco, where there is not a strong functioning opposition. Campbell touched on some of the reasons that secular parties struggle in Egypt, including an unwillingness to do tough campaign work, a belief that the international community will pressure Islamists to include them and a fear of putting resources into elections whose results could be cancelled.

He also discussed governing challenges that the Islamists face, especially in Egypt, due to issues like lack of governing experience and a disconnect with the economic elite. Campbell argued that the international community should engage secular Egyptian political parties, and make it clear to the Islamists that they are willing to pressure them to follow democratic practices.

Read a full summary of the event here.

02/28/2013

Women's Political Participation in Libya: Quotas as a Key Strategy for States in Transition

National Democratic Institute

At a recent Global Gender Forum event “Getting More Women into Political Office: What Works?” Megan Doherty, program manager for NDI Middle East and North Africa programs, discussed women’s political participation in Libya. The event was co-sponsored by the George Washington University's Global Gender Program and NDI.

During her remarks, Doherty shared her experiences living in Libya over the past year working with women, youth and public opinion research programs. She discussed the very limited role women were able to play in politics before the fall of the Gadaffi regime, the successes women had in last July’s historic elections and the role of the women’s quota in furthering women’s representation.

“The election of 33 women to the [General National Congress] GNC is a significant accomplishment and provides Libyan women with access to decision-making structures that previously eluded or ignored them...More broadly, Libya’s unfolding political transition continues to offer the country an unprecedented opportunity to address both the inequities in political institutions and the harmful perceptions of women’s role in public life.”

View the accompanying presentation here.

Doherty’s remarks were based on her recent paper “Libyan Women in the 2012 National Elections.” Read the full paper here.

02/05/2013

Reform or Else

Peacefare.net

Les Campbell, NDI regional director for Middle East and North Africa programs, and Danya Greenfield of the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East participated in a recent discussion at the Middle East Institute about the challenges Jordan faces after the Jan. 23 parliamentary elections.

Technical improvements such as standardized ballots resulted in progress from previous elections, but the King still hasn’t instituted meaningful reform.

“Both Campbell and Greenfield came to the same conclusion: the King must demonstrate his commitment to reform to boost Jordanian confidence in the future. Perhaps the King’s abstention from tampering with the Parliament’s upcoming selection of the Prime Minister will represent the perfect opportunity.”

01/30/2013

Crisis in Mali

KQED - San Francisco Public Radio

Michael Krasny, host of "Forum" on KQED public radio in San Francisco, discusses the conflict in Mali, its effect on the stability of the region and the role of the United States.

The show's guests include Christopher Fomunyoh, NDI regional director for Central and Western Africa; Mamadou Diallo, regional manager for West Africa with Freedom from Hunger; Mark Quarterman, director of research for The Enough Project, which fights to end genocide and crimes against humanity; Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, international correspondent for NPR; and John Campbell, senior fellow or Africa policy studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of “Nigeria: Dancing on the Brink.”

Listen to the program here.

01/24/2013

Loyalists to Dominate Jordan’s New Parliament

The New York Times

Jordan’s Jan. 23 parliamentary elections resulted in a new 150-member Parliament largely dominated by government loyalists and “tribal figures who run patronage networks.” Some observers complained that the election commission's rules gave an advantage to rural districts with strong government support. “To the growing protest movement, the country’s weak legislators have come to symbolize the divisive policies of the government and the reluctance of Jordan’s rulers to yield power.”

Nonetheless, international observers saw improvements in this election—the first since the start of the Arab uprisings—over previous elections “which were widely seen as rigged.” NDI’s 50-person observation delegation noted positive changes like preprinted ballots and improved voter processing procedures.

But the delegation also said that the elections are still “‘profoundly local contests where candidates are elected as service providers and representatives of parochial interests, rather than national legislators able to hold the executive branch to account or propose laws.’”

01/22/2013

Women Gaining Political Power in Burkina Faso

Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida)

In Burkina Faso, where women have traditionally been left out of politics, NDI and other organizations have helped give women a stronger voice by educating them about the political process. NDI’s programs focus on increasing the number of women who run for office, and helping them learn how to govern once they are elected.

Aminata Kassé, NDI resident director for Burkina Faso, said that “'the newly elected women have been better at integrating women’s needs in politics, as well as access to micro-credit, access to clean water and at creating markets to sell locally grown vegetables.’”

“Events in recent years have led to a general change of attitude towards female politicians in Burkina Faso. People in the rural areas have seen positive results under female leadership and a greater number of women are climbing the political hierarchy. The NDI’s work has only just begun.”

01/18/2013

Preserve Programs that Promote Democracy Abroad

POLITICO

As Congress continues to scrutinize the federal budget, we should “further integrate the themes of democracy and good governance into our international development dialogue,” rather than decrease democracy support programs, writes Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State and NDI chairman, along with former White House Chief of Staff John Podesta, former U.S. Congressman Vin Weber and Daniel F. Runde, director of the Project on Prosperity and Development at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The bipartisan group notes that “democracy helps to create a virtuous circle of improved security, stronger economic growth, and more durable international alliances,” and that any budget resolution should maintain the commitment to “nurturing democracy around the globe.”

The group cites Burma as an example of what long-term support for democracy and good governance can achieve. However, there is still considerable work to be done both in Burma and in regions around the world going through democratic transitions such as the Middle East, large parts of Africa and Southeast Asia.

“As we know from our own history, democratic progress is untidy and uneven, but vastly superior to any alternative because it reflects the hopes and aspirations of the people."

12/14/2012

NPR Examines Egyptian Protests Over Draft Constitution

NPR

Protests Continue In Egypt Over Draft Constitution

Ahead of the Dec. 15 referendum vote on a draft Egyptian constitution, NPR reports that critics in the country continued to protest the draft, saying that is was hastily written and gives too much power to the military and presidency, among other issues. Since many judges who would normally be in charge of monitoring the referendum are boycotting it, there is also concern about the fairness and accuracy of the poll, which is being split into two stages. Western observers won't be monitoring the poll either. Les Campbell, director of Middle East and North Africa programs at NDI, says that without knowing important information like where voting will occur or where ballots will be counted, it is impossible for Westerners to effectively monitor the vote, and that it makes more sense to delay the poll.

“You’d be walking into a situation where it would be very difficult to be perceived as neutral or independent,” Campbell said.

Listen to the updated segment from Dec. 15 here.

12/03/2012

What can parliaments add to the Open Government Partnership?

OpeningParliament.org

In advance of the Steering Committee Meeting of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), a group of nearly 60 governments that have committed to promote more transparency to improve oversight by citizens and civil society groups, NDI’s Dan Swislow reflects on the role parliaments can play in making sure OGP commitments are being implemented. While OGP has engaged both civil society and the public in developing its guiding principles, and is aimed primarily at the executive branch of government, members of parliament (MPs) also need to be engaged in the conversation “if the goal of OGP is not only to improve the quality of government service delivery, but also to improve the quality of our democracies.”

“When the OGP’s Steering Committee meets this week to plan future OGP work and to consider options for overseeing the implementation of OGP commitments, it will also have an opportunity to begin thinking about creative ways of broadening the growing coalition for open governments — and open parliaments. The range of options for increased dialogue with and engagement of parliamentarians are broad and, eventually, will need to be developed in partnership with parliaments and the associations that represent them. However, it is not too early to begin to strengthen this conversation.”