National Democratic Institute | NDI

image of a compass

Our Perspectives

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


10/20/2009	Peter Manikas on the Runoff Election in Afghanistan Council on Foreign Relations In an interview with the Council on Foreign Relations, NDI director of Asia programs, Peter Manikas, discusses the Afghan presidential runoff election and what the international community can do to encourage transparency in the voting. Read More
10/07/2009	Madeleine Albright on Iran and Afghanistan Christian Science Monitor NDI Chairman Madeleine Albright speaks to the Christian Science Monitor about Iran, Afghanistan and her new book, Read My Pins. Read More
09/08/2009	Pat Merloe Speaks to PRI's The World PRI's The World Pat Merloe, NDI's director for programs on election processes, spoke to PRI's "The World" about the role of international election observers in Afghanistan, in the wake of a new survey that found that a majority of people in the 17 countries surveyed think that their country would benefit from more international election monitoring. Read More
09/03/2009	NDI Election Observers Present Afghanistan Election Findings in Washington Forum Center for Strategic and International Studies Members of NDI's international election observation mission in Afghanistan presented their preliminary findings at a panel hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The event featured NDI President Kenneth Wollack; Peter Manikas, NDI regional director for Asia; Kristin Haffert, NDI director of women's political participation programs; Karin von Hippel of CSIS; Karl Inderfurth of the George Washington University; and Christine Fair of Georgetown University. Read More
08/18/2009	Peter Manikas on BBC's The World Tonight BBC The World Tonight Peter Manikas, NDI's regional director for Asia programs, appeared on The BBC's "The World Tonight" to discuss allegations of fraud in the Afghan elections. He speaks about the security situation and its impact on the voting process. He also speaks about the standards by which the final vote should be judged. Jump to the 36-minute mark to hear Manikas' thoughts. Read More
08/06/2009	Susan Page Interviewed by NPR's Tell me More with Michel Martin NPR Susan Page, NDI’s regional director for Southern and Eastern Africa, appeared as a guest on NPR’s “Tell Me More,” to participate in a discussion on Secretary Clinton’s tour of Africa and its implications for U.S./African relations. Page reflected on the trip as a whole, and emphasized the significance of Clinton’s visit to South Africa, which takes place in light of South Africa’s recent decision not to abide by an African Union resolution to halt cooperation with the International Criminal Court’s indictment of Sudan President Omar Al-Bashir. Read More
07/30/2009	Susan Page Testifies at Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing on Sudan Senate Foreign Relations Committee Susan Page, NDI’s regional director for Southern and Eastern Africa, testified in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during its hearing: “Toward a Comprehensive Strategy for Sudan.” Page detailed the fragile nature of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, for which she provided counsel from 2005 to 2007 during its implementation. Read More
07/28/2009	Mediating Election-Related Conflict The Center for Humanitarian Dialogue Chris Fomunyoh, NDI’s senior associate for Africa, produced a report in collaboration with The Center for Humanitarian Dialogue on mediating election-related conflict. In the report, Dr. Fomunyoh discusses the electoral process, including its phases, flash-points and means of mediation, as well as impediments to mediation of conflict. Also available in French» Read More
07/28/2009	Roula Attar Discusses Democracy Promotion at Brookings in Doha Brookings Doha Center Brookings Doha Center hosted a discussion session on “Democracy Promotion and America’s Key Arab Allies: Limits and Prospects,” where experts, including Roula Attar, resident director of NDI’s office in Jordan detailed the efforts of previous administrations to promote democracy in the Arab world and looked forward to the efforts of President Barack Obama and his future plans. Read More
07/09/2009	Resolving the Honduras Crisis: Options and Actions Americas Society Jim Swigert, senior associate and regional director, Latin America and Caribbean programs, participated in a panel at the Americas Society about the factors contributing to the crisis in Honduras, the responses of the United States and the Organization of American States, and the road ahead for Honduras and the international community. The debate was spirited, revealing diverging viewpoints on how to understand and resolve the conflict. Read More