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December 15, 2003
The Recent Elections in the Caucasus: Regional and International Implications
The International Forum for Democratic Studies held a luncheon presentation featuring Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Shahin Abbasov and Anahit Bayandur, and Charles Fairbanks, professor of international relations at Johns Hopkins-SAIS.
Recent elections in Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia have brought the Caucasus into the international spotlight. In all three countries, rulers ratified elections widely believed to have been rigged. The ensuing protests did little to stop incumbent presidents from returning to office in Armenia and Azerbaijan, but Georgia's "Revolution of Roses" forced President Eduard Shevardnadze to resign.
Mr. Shahin Abbasov, deputy editor-in-chief of the daily Echo, an independent newspaper based in Baku, spoke on the recent elections in Azerbaijan. Ms. Anahit Bayandur, a leading activist of peace and human rights and a former member of the Armenian parliament, discussed developments in Armenia. Dr. Charles Fair-banks, professor of international relations and director of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute at Johns Hopkins-SAIS, commented on the political upheaval in Georgia, where he recently served as an election monitor.
December 11, 2003
Stalinism for All Seasons? Communism and Post-Communism in Romania
The International Forum for Democratic Studies held a luncheon presentation featuring Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow Vladimir Tismaneanu and Paul McCarthy, NED senior program officer for the Balkans. The event was moderated by Marc F. Plattner, codirector of the International Forum.
In his presentation, Dr. Tismaneanu discussed his new book Stalinism for All Seasons? The Communism and Post-Communism in Romania, specifically focusing on the impact of political personalities and their ideological preferences on party formation in Romania. Mr. McCarthy spoke on the current political situation in Romania.
Vladimir Tismaneanu is professor of government and director of the Center for the Study of Post-Communist Societies at the University of Maryland-College Park. Since 1998, he has been the editor of East European Politics and Societies, a leading quarterly journal in the field. He is the author of numerous books on East European history and politics, and his articles and interviews have appeared in major American and European publications, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and the Times Literary Supplement.
Paul McCarthy has overseen the NED Balkans program since 1992. He has traveled extensively throughout Southeastern Europe during the past decade and has participated in numerous election monitoring missions and U.S. congressional delegation visits to the region. He holds a B.A. in European History from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.Sc. in Russian and Soviet Political Economy from the London School of Economics.
November 6, 2003
20th Anniversary of the National Endowment for Democracy
U.S. President George W. Bush delivered keynote address for event commemorating 20th Anniversary of the National Endowment for Democracy on November 6, 2003.
October 30, 2003
How to be a Good Dictator: A Human Rights Activist Reflects on Authoritarian Rule in Africa
The International Forum for Democratic Studies held a luncheon presentation featuring Forum Visiting Fellow Adotei Akwei. Sally Blair, Fellowship Program Director moderated the event.
In his presentation, Mr. Akwei took a provocative look at how African dictators gain and maintain their grip on power. Drawing on case studies from colonial and postcolonial times, he examined the myriad ways in which African autocrats have managed to master the art of dictatorship: how, for instance, they demand obedience from their militaries, command the acquiescence of their citizenry, amass personal fortunes, handle foreign relations, and guarantee their perpetual stay in office. Mr. Akwei also identified ways to combat dictatorship and improve governance in sub-Saharan Africa.
September 12, 2003
Democracy in the Middle East: Between Hope and Fear
The International Forum for Democratic Studies cosponsored with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace a panel discussion featuring:
Adel Abdellatif, regional coordinator for the program on governance at the Regional Bureau for the Arab States of the United Nations Development Programme;
Thomas L. Friedman, a foreign-affairs columnist for the New York Times, author of The Lexus and the Olive Tree (2000) and From Beirut to Jerusalem (1989), and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 2002; and
Gilles Kepel, professor at the Institute for Political Studies in Paris, senior researcher at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, and author of Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam (2002).
The event marked the release of the Journal of Democracy book "Islam and Democracy in the Middle East," edited by Marc F. Plattner, Larry Diamond, and Daniel Brumberg.
You can listen to this event at the Carnegie Endowment's web site.
July 25, 2003
Is Japan a Successful Democracy? A Japanese Journalist Looks Back at the Impact of the U.S. Occupation
The International Forum for Democratic Studies held a luncheon presentation featuring Schu Sugawara (Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow). Sally Blair (Fellowship Program Manager, International Forum) moderated the event.
In his presentation, Mr. Sugawara looked back at the U.S. occupation of Japan after World War II as he experienced it as a young boy and reflected on the difficulties that the United States faced in its efforts to foster democracy there. He then assessed the current state of democracy in Japan and discussed the prospect of his country becoming further engaged in democracy assistance abroad.
July 17, 2003
Promoting Democracy Through the Media in Peru
The International Forum for Democratic Studies held a luncheon roundtable featuring Luz María Helguero (Reagan Fascell Democracy Fellow). Sally Blair (Fellowship Program Manager, International Forum) moderated the event.
Despite holding presidential elections every 5 years since 1980, democracy in Peru is far from firmly established. Significant socioeconomic inequalities and regional disparities in access to information continue to frustrate ordinary citizens, undermining confidence in Peru’s democratic institutions. In her presentation, Ms. Helguero surveyed the media landscape in Peru and discussed the important role that the media can play in furthering democracy and socioeconomic development in her country.
July 16, 2003
North Korean Human Rights Crisis is Focus for 2003 Democracy Award
On July 16 NED presented its 2003 Democracy Award to four Korean activists working to focus world attention on the human rights crisis in North Korea. Three of the honorees, Kang Cheol-hwan, An Hyuk and Soon Ok Lee, are survivors of North Korea's Gulag. The fourth honoree, Benjamin Yoon, a long time human rights advocate, is the founder of Citizens' Alliance for North Korean Human Rights, the leading Korean NGO working on the issue. The award ceremony was preceded by a day-long conference on the topic.
July 8, 2003
Strengthening Democracy in Africa: The Role of the Media
The International Forum for Democratic Studies held a luncheon presentation featuring Herbert Boh (Reagan Fascell Democracy Fellow). Sally Blair (Fellowship Program Manager, International Forum) moderated the event.
While most African countries claim to favor an independent press, few actually uphold constitutional and legal guarantees of press freedom. In his presentation, Mr. Boh surveyed the state of the media across Africa from 1990 until the present time, drawing on the experience of specific countries throughout the continent. He also identified practical ways in which Africans can reform the media sector to deliver reliable, unbiased information and discussed the potential of such reforms to promote human rights, accountability, and good governance in Africa.
June 25, 2003
Do Constitutional Courts Matter? Judicial Review and Democratic Consolidation in Central and Eastern Europe
The International Forum for Democratic Studies held a luncheon presentation featuring Mustafa Erdogan (Reagan Fascell Democracy Fellow). Sally Blair (Fellowship Program Manager, International Forum) moderated the event.
In his presentation, Dr. Erdogan explored the unique role that constitutional courts play in facilitating democratic consolidation. Drawing upon the experiences of Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, he examined how constitutional courts have helped to promote accountability, human rights, and the rule of law in postcommunist Europe.
June 18, 2003
Slovakia’s Road to Democratic Consolidation: A Pollster’s Perspective
The International Forum for Democratic Studies held a luncheon presentation featuring Ol’ga Gyárfášová (Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow). Sally Blair (Fellowship Program Manager, International Forum) moderated the event.
In her presentation, Ms. Gyárfášová discussed Slovakia’s first decade as an independent state. Drawing upon her extensive experience as a pollster, she explored the unique role of nongovernmental organizations and independent public policy institutes in giving voice to the aspirations and expectations of ordinary Slovaks. She also addressed her country’s emerging challenges and opportunities for democratic consolidation.
June 10, 2003
How Democratic Are Chinese Village Elections?
The International Forum for Democratic Studies held a luncheon presentation featuring Baogang He (Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow). Sally Blair (Fellowship Program Manager, International Forum) moderated the event.
In his presentation, Dr. He discussed the development and function of democratic procedures and institutions in rural China, including village committees and village representative assemblies. Drawing upon his fieldwork in Zhejiang province, he explored four dimensions of village democracy—village citizenship, electoral participation, electoral competition, and gender equality—and assessed their implications for democratization in China as a whole.
June 5, 2003
Democracy in Moldova: Challenges and Prospects
The International Forum for Democratic Studies sponsored a luncheon roundtable featuring Ceslav Ciobanu (Reagan Fascell Democracy Fellow), Todd Stewart (Fellow, Institute for International Economics), Chris Holzen (Ukraine Program Director, International Republican Institute), and Charles King (Associate Professor, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University). Sally Blair (Fellowship Program Manager, International Forum) and Nadia Diuk (National Endowment for Democracy) moderated the event.
Since its landslide parliamentary victory two years ago, Moldova’s ruling Communist Party has attempted to reverse many of the country’s economic and political reforms. The government has sought to revise the principle of the separation of powers, compromise the independence of the judiciary, limit freedom of expression, and launch obstruction campaigns against opposition newspapers and movements. Local elections on May 25, 2003 were a crucial test of the Communists’ staying power two years into their term. In their presentations, the speakers analyzed the results of the local elections and examined their implications for Moldova’s democracy.
May 15, 2003
Human Rights Defender Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim Discusses Prospects for Civil Society in Egypt
On May 15, 2003, nearly three years after being convicted on spurious charges by Egypt's State Security court and sentenced to seven years in prison, Saad Eddin Ibrahim addressed a standing-room-only audience at NED. A free and vindicated man as of March, he was characteristically eager to talk about civil society in Egypt and about the hope he maintains despite—and, in some regards, because of—his recent experience with the Egyptian judicial system.
May 7, 2003
Can Democracy Be Taught? The Impact of Civic Education in Developing Democracies
The International Forum for Democratic Studies held a luncheon presentation featuring Steven Finkel (Reagan Fascell Democracy Fellow). Sally Blair (Fellowship Program Manager, International Forum) moderated the event.
In his presentation, Dr. Finkel examined the relationship between civic education and the development of a democratic political culture, using the Dominican Republic, South Africa, and Poland as case studies.
April 25, 2003
Crises and Breakthroughs: Whither Turkish Democracy?
The International Forum for Democratic Studies sponsored a luncheon presentation featuring Soli Özel (professor of International Relations at Bilgi University and advisor to the chairman of TÜS?AD). Abdullah Akyüz (president, TÜS?AD-US) and Philip Costopoulos (executive editor, Journal of Democracy) made introductory remarks.
April 21, 2003
The Impact of Anti-Americanism on Democratic Consolidation in "New Europe"
Ivan Krastev, president of the Center for Liberal Strategies in Bulgaria, warned a crowd of more than 50 at a NED luncheon on April 21 that despite the support of governments in "New Europe" for the recent war in Iraq, a new form of anti-Americanism spreading throughout Eastern Europe that could endanger democratic transitions taking place there. A transcript of the event is available online.
April 1, 2003
Democratic Development and the African Predicament
The International Forum for Democratic Studies held a luncheon presentation featuring Richard Joseph (Reagan Fascell Democracy Fellow). Larry Diamond (co-director of the International Forum and co-editor of the Journal of Democracy) moderated the event.
Drawing on several studies since his prescient 1978 article, “Affluence and Underdevelopment: the Nigerian Experience,” as well as major recent statement by aid agencies about the importance of good governance to sustainable development, Dr. Joseph explored pathways for combining democratic progress with political stability and economic growth. In particular, he suggested that the African continent as a whole had to tackle severe institutional weaknesses and that external actors have a relevant role in this process.
March 25, 2003
Democratization Efforts in the Gulf Region and the War in Iraq
The International Forum sponsored a luncheon presentation featuring Jean-Francois Seznec (adjunct professor at Columbia University’s Middle East Institute and Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies). Philip Costopoulos (executive editor, Journal of Democracy) moderated the event.
March 25, 2003
NED Honors Bolaños and Payne with Democracy Service Medal
The Endowment honored two outstanding servants of democracy with the presentation of NED’s Democracy Service Medal. In separate ceremonies, NED recognized the important democratic contributions of Nicaraguan President Enrique Bolaños, and New Jersey Congressman and NED Board Member Donald M. Payne.
February 26, 2003
Democracy in Mongolia: Accomplishments and Challenges
The International Forum for Democratic Studies held a luncheon presentation featuring Nyamosor Tuya (Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow). Magvan Bold (former vice-president, Bank of Mongolia) and Oidov Enhtuya (former member of the Mongolian Parliament) provided additional commentary. Sally Blair (project manager, Reagan-Fascell Program) moderated the session.
One of the poorest and most isolated post-communist countries in 1990, Mongolia defies conventional wisdom about how countries become democratic. Since then, it has implemented political and economic reforms that have constituted a sweeping break from the past. Despite its achievements, however, Mongolia faces a host of problems that it needs to resolve in order to strengthen its democracy. In her presentation, Ms. Tuya assessed her country’s main accomplishments and the challenges it faces on its road toward democratic consolidation.
February 12, 2003
From Kabul to Baghdad: Peacekeeping and Democracy-Building in Afghanistan and Beyond
The International Forum for Democratic Studies held a luncheon seminar featuring Larry Goodson (director and associate professor of Middle East studies, U.S. Army War College). The session was moderated by Philip Costopoulos (executive editor, Journal of Democracy).
Dr. Goodson is author of Afghanistan’s Endless War: State Failure, Regional Politics, and the Rise of the Taliban (2000) and of “Afghanistan’s Long Road to Reconstruction” in the January 2003 issue of the Journal of Democracy. In the summer of 2002, he served with the UN Assistance Mission to Afghanistan to help monitor elections for the Afghan Loya Jirga.
February 11, 2003
Bridging Conflict Management and Democracy in Africa
The International Forum held a luncheon presentation featuring Clayton Lillienfeldt (Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow). Thomas W. Skladony (senior program officer, International Forum for Democratic Studies) moderated the event.
Mr. Lillienfeldt explored ways to integrate and strengthen the work of conflict mediators and democratic activists, two communities that share mutually reinforcing goals but that tend to work independently of one another. The presentation drew from case studies of South Africa, Somaliland, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
February 4, 2003
A New Vision for Democracy in China
The International Forum for Democratic Studies and the Center for International Private Enterprise cosponsored a seminar featuring Cao Siyuan (director, Beijing Siyuan Merger and Bankruptcy Consultancy). The session was moderated by Thomas W. Skladony (senior program officer, International Forum for Democratic Studies) and John Callebaut (Center for Private International Enterprise).
Mr. Cao’s presentation drew from his new book in which he sets out his vision for a multiparty, democratic China governed by the rule of law. A member of China’s State Council during the 1980s, Mr. Cao later went on to establish the Siyuan Merger and Bankruptcy Consultancy (SMB), a private firm that lobbies for the improvement of the bankruptcy process in China. In recent years, SMB has also expanded its focus to include such broader issues as privatization, the rule of law, judicial reform, and political finance.
January 30, 2003
The Return to a Democratic Path in Belarus: How the United States Can Help
The International Forum for Democratic Studies sponsored a luncheon presentation featuring Arkady Cherepansky (Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow). Sally Blair (project manager, Reagan-Fascell Program) moderated the session.
In his presentation, Mr. Cherepansky discussed the challenges to democracy in his native Belarus, including the detrimental policies pursued by its authoritarian leadership and the consequent international isolation of the country. He also assessed U.S. democracy assistance to Belarus and its importance for the region as a whole.
January 17, 2003
China’s Political Future
The International Forum for Democratic Studies and the Sigur Center for Asian Studies cosponsored a conference examining China’s leadership transition and its implications for political and economic reform. Featured speakers were Bruce Dickson (associate professor of political science and international affairs, George Washington University), Bruce Gilley (Ph.D candidate in politics, Princeton University), Andrew Nathan (professor of political science, Columbia University), Minxin Pei (senior associate and co-director of the China Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace), and Dali Yang (associate professor of political science, University of Chicago). Harry Harding (dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University) provided additional commentary.
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