Elie Abouaoun on Libya’s Elections

Elie Abouaoun on Libya’s Elections

Friday, December 17, 2021

By: Dr. Elie Abouaoun

With the vote likely to be postponed, USIP’s Elie Abouaoun says frustrations are high over Libya’s political and economic stagnation as the international community tries to “generate a new political agreement … just to make sure the elections can happen without a major outbreak of violence.”

Type: Podcast

Democracy & Governance

إعادة عملية الانتقال السياسي في السودان إلى مسارها الصحيح

إعادة عملية الانتقال السياسي في السودان إلى مسارها الصحيح

Friday, December 17, 2021

By: Susan Stigant

قد حكم الجيش السودان لمدة 53 عامًا من أصل 66 عامًا مضت منذ حصوله على الاستقلال عام 1955. وفي 25 أكتوبر/تشرين الاول استولى الجيش، في حركة مألوفة على السلطة مما ألقى بظلال من الشك على التحول السياسي الذي من شأنه أن يؤدي إلى حكم مدني. وتم حل القيادة المدنية واعتقال قادتها وإعلان حالة الطوارئ. واستشهد قائد الانقلاب الجنرال عبد الفتاح برهان بمبررات بالية لتبرير أفعاله. وفي وقت لاحق أعيد رئيس الوزراء المخلوع عبد الله حمدوك إلى رئاسة حكومة تكنوقراطية إلى أن يحين موعد الانتخابات المقرر إجراؤها في يوليو/تموز 2023.

Type: Analysis

Civilian-Military RelationsDemocracy & Governance

How to Deliver for Citizens in Fragile States After the Democracy Summit

How to Deliver for Citizens in Fragile States After the Democracy Summit

Thursday, December 16, 2021

By: Corinne Graff, Ph.D.

Last week’s Summit for Democracy hosted by President Biden was a call to action. The first-ever international convening of its kind, it offered democratic leaders an opportunity to announce political commitments to reform over the coming year, and to begin to share experiences and learn from each other in a more deliberate way than has been the case to date. Given the unprecedented threats facing democratic systems worldwide, it was an important and timely step. What is less clear is what the summit entails for a particular subset of aspiring democracies: countries currently or recently affected by civil war that are transitioning to democracy. 

Type: Analysis

Democracy & GovernanceGlobal Policy

To Consolidate Democracy, Change U.S. Security Assistance

To Consolidate Democracy, Change U.S. Security Assistance

Thursday, December 16, 2021

By: Emily Cole;  Calin Trenkov-Wermuth, Ph.D.

As the United States pursues its initiative to bolster democratic rule and human rights after last week’s Summit for Democracy, a priority should be to diagnose and repair the flaws in U.S. and allied approaches to helping vulnerable nations strengthen their security. Our existing pattern of security sector assistance focuses largely on training and equipping such nations’ forces, and it emphasizes the security of governments and institutions, rather than of the people they are meant to serve. This type of assistance prioritizes short-term tactical gains to the detriment of long-term U.S. strategic goals—and it should be reformed.

Type: Analysis

Democracy & GovernanceJustice, Security & Rule of Law

Engaging with Muslim Civil Society in Central Asia: Components, Approaches, and Opportunities

Engaging with Muslim Civil Society in Central Asia: Components, Approaches, and Opportunities

Friday, December 10, 2021

By: Sebastien Peyrouse;  Emil Nasritdinov

When Western policymakers and development practitioners turn their attention to Central Asia, they too often overlook Muslim civil society as a potential partner for addressing the region’s economic and social problems. This report, which is based on dozens of interviews with representatives of Muslim civil society organizations in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, is intended to help generate a much-needed conversation about Muslim civil society in Central Asia and how Western donors and practitioners can begin tapping their potential.

Type: Peaceworks

Democracy & Governance

Putting Sudan’s Political Transition Back on Track

Putting Sudan’s Political Transition Back on Track

Thursday, December 9, 2021

By: Susan Stigant

Sudan has been ruled by the military for 53 of the 66 years since it gained independence in 1955. On October 25, the military, in a familiar move, seized power throwing into question the political transition that would result in civilian rule. The civilian cabinet was dissolved, its leaders arrested and a state of emergency declared. Coup leader Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan cited well-worn excuses to justify his actions. Ousted Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was later reinstated to lead a technocratic cabinet until elections scheduled for July 2023.

Type: Analysis

Civilian-Military RelationsDemocracy & Governance

After Two Coups, Mali Needs Regional Support to Bolster Democracy

After Two Coups, Mali Needs Regional Support to Bolster Democracy

Thursday, December 9, 2021

By: Ena Dion;  Joseph Sany, Ph.D.

Amid a 15-year global democratic recession, the Biden administration is convening over a hundred nations this week to revitalize democracy. This comes at a critical juncture, as democracy’s defenders are reeling from the growing challenges posed by authoritarian foes. The West African country of Mali puts these challenges in stark relief, after the country experienced two coups in a year. Underlying the crisis of coups in Mali is a deeper crisis of state legitimacy, which has been exacerbated by Western security assistance overly focused on short-term counterterrorism gains.

Type: Analysis

Civilian-Military RelationsDemocracy & Governance

Myanmar Struggles to Reverse a Coup; Democracies Can Help

Myanmar Struggles to Reverse a Coup; Democracies Can Help

Thursday, December 9, 2021

By: Billy Ford;  Jason Tower

Few countries this year dramatize more powerfully the need for a global focus on strengthening democracy than Myanmar, now 10 months into a new chapter of military dictatorship and violence following its February 1 coup. Myanmar is a testament to the vulnerability of democracy when armed forces expect no repercussions for brutality and can rely on support from authoritarian governments which will arm, legitimize and finance them. As the United States and partners seek ways to boost democracy in this week’s White House summit, experts on Myanmar offered recommendations for policy.

Type: Analysis

Civilian-Military RelationsDemocracy & Governance

A Global Democratic Resurgence is the Best Path Toward Peace

A Global Democratic Resurgence is the Best Path Toward Peace

Thursday, December 9, 2021

By: USIP Staff

The longstanding global decline in democratic governance has now reached its 15th consecutive year, with the number of liberal democracies falling from 41 to just 32 in the last decade alone. Consequently, authoritarian tendencies have crept into the spaces once held by democratic institutions, with increased government repression and exclusion fueling further instability and conflict.

Type: Analysis

Democracy & Governance