2008–2009 Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows
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Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Newsletter 2008–2009 Inside This Issue 2009–2010 Reagan-Fascell Fellows...3 2008–2009 Reagan-Fascell Fellows....4 AFRICA: Birame Diop..............................4 Niemat Kuku............................5 Frederic Loua............................6 Gilbert Maoundonodji ...........7 Anyakwee Nsirimovu..............8 ASIA: Jami Chandio.............................9 Suvash Darnal.........................10 Reagan-Fascell Staff (clockwise from bottom left): director Sally Blair, program assistant Jessica Martin, senior Forum Rajesh Dev...............................11 administrator Maria Angelica Fleetwood, research and con- ferences officer Melissa Aten, and manager Zerxes Spencer. Siti Nurjanah...........................12 Ronojoy Sen............................13 EURASIA: Greetings from the National Endowment for Democracy! Ihor Lylo..................................14 On behalf of the International Forum for Democratic Studies, I Ekaterina Osipova.................15 am pleased to share this 2008–2009 Reagan-Fascell Democracy LATIN AMERICA: Fellows Newsletter with you. Now in our ninth year of operation, we Antonio Maldonado...............16 are proud to be associated with 130 alumni from over 60 countries. Enrique Peruzzotti.................17 Established in 2001 by the U.S. Congress in honor of NED’s MIDDLE EAST: two principal founders, former president Ronald Reagan and the late Lila Iril......................................18 congressman Dante Fascell, the Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Omar Afifi Soliman................19 Program seeks to deepen the knowledge, broaden the perspectives, and strengthen the morale of some of the world’s most dedicated democratic NORTH AMERICA: practitioners, journalists, and scholars. Fellows are in residence at the Sharon Wolchik......................20 International Forum for Democratic Studies, NED’s research and 2008–2009 Visiting Fellows.............21 publications arm, in Washington, D.C., which offers a collegial en- Alumni News.....................................22 vironment to conduct research, exchange ideas with counterparts, and This Newsletter was produced by Zerxes build ties that contribute to a global network of democracy advocates. Spencer, with assistance from Sally Blair and In 2008–2009, we were pleased to support the work of leading Judith (JJ) Welling. The opinions expressed in these pages are those of the individual fel- democrats from Algeria, Argentina, Chad, Egypt, Guinea, India, lows and do not necessarily reflect the views Indonesia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Russia, Senegal, Su- of the National Endowment for Democracy dan, Ukraine, and the United States. Central messages drawn from or its staff. their fellowship presentations are highlighted in the pages that follow. We look forward to continuing to stand in solidarity with those work- Pictured on the cover are the 2008–2009 Fel- ing to build democratic institutions around the world. lows. From left to right—top row: Lila Iril, Anyakwee Nsirimovu, Ihor Lylo, Suvash Sincerely, Darnal; second row: Omar Soliman, Ekat- erina Osipova, Frederic Loua, Jami Chandio; third row: Gilbert Maoundonodji, Niemat Kuku; fourth row: Enrique Peruzzotti, Siti Sally Blair Nurjanah, Ronojoy Sen, Birame Diop; fifth Director, Fellowship Programs row: Rajesh Dev, Antonio Maldonado, Sha- ron Wolchik, and Dieter Dettke. 2 2009–2010 FELLOWS Fall 2009 Spring 2010 Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Mr. Emmanuel Abdulai (Sierra Leone) Mr. Andrés Cañizález (Venezuela) Freedom of Expression in the U.S. and Sierra Leone The Chávez Era: Democratic Challenges to Venezuelan Journalism Dr. Migai Akech (Kenya) Regulating Political Power in Kenya through Dr. Jimmy Dube (Zimbabwe) Separation of Powers and Administrative Law When the Weak Constrain the Strong: Challenges to Grassroots Democracy in Zimbabwe Mr. Salah Albedry (Iraq) Developing Research Centers in Iraq Mr. Zahid Ebrahim (Pakistan) When the News Brings Democracy: Chronicling Mr. Sangsoo Kim (South Korea) Pakistan’s Pro-Democracy Movement The Voice of Freedom: Improving Radio Programs for the Citizens of North Korea Mr. Mohammad Ishaq (Afghanistan) Educating for Democracy in Afghanistan Mr. Peter Novotny (Slovakia) Nonpartisan Election Monitoring and Voter Ms. Marcella Macauley (Sierra Leone) Education in America and Eurasia: Best Practices Transparency in Post-Conflict Elections: The National Election Watch in Sierra Leone Dr. Nikolay Rudenskiy (Russia) Hate Speech and Freedom of the Press: Ms. Maria Martin (U.S./Guatemala) Where America Draws the Line Transnational Media’s Potential to Promote Rural Journalism in Guatemala Dr. Radwan Ziadeh (Syria) Democratization and Political Division Ms. Rosemary Mwakitwange (Tanzania) in the Middle East Fighting Corruption in Tanzania’s Mainstream Media Dr. Benjamin Reilly (Australia) Strengthening Democracy in the Asia-Pacific Visiting Fellows Mr. Farid Tuhbatullin (Turkmenistan) Dr. Valerie Bunce (United States) The Influence of Exiled Activists on Authoritarian After the Elections: Regimes: The Case of Turkmenistan Democratic Development and Decline in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Georgia, Serbia, and Ukraine Dr. Mary Speck (United States) Cuba: Democracy and Revolution, 1950–1962 Reagan-Fascell Newsletter 2008–2009 3 2008–2009 REAGAN -FASCELL DEMOC R ACY FELLOWS Colonel Birame Diop (Senegal) frica has long seen destabilizing military involve- Ament in its political and economic life. With fi- nancial,“ food, and energy crises ravaging the continent, there is an increased danger of armed forces asserting their influence. Bold and swift reforms must be under- taken to address the fundamental shortcomings of Af- rica’s militaries—dysfunctional civil-military relations; the “Reforming Africa’s failure to secure the continent; the problems of disarma- Armed Forces” ment, demobilization and reintegration; the unacceptable Dates in Residence: costs of civil wars; and the emergence of new transna- October 2008–February 2009 tional threats. African militaries need to regain the trust of civilians by elevating standards of professionalism and [email protected] emphasizing inclusiveness, education, and discipline. Ci- vilian leaders must be trained to provide capable over- sight and thereby limit military “African militar- interference in politics. Cost- ies need to regain effective national security strat- egies should be conceptualized the trust of civil- to promote a coherent and ef- ians by elevat- ficient military sector. Finally, regional and continental coop- ing standards of eration should be encouraged professionalism to support peacekeeping opera- tions and conflict management and emphasizing and also to tackle transnational threats, such as drug traf- inclusiveness, edu- ficking, small arms trade, and terrorism. Assistance from cation, and disci- the international community remains vital to enabling Af- rica to meet these security challenges. pline.” —Birame Diop, ”February 25, 2009 Col. Birame Diop is a technical adviser and air force pilot for the Ministry of Defense in Senegal. In recognition of his work as deputy chief of air operations for the UN Mission in Congo, he was awarded the UN’s Peacekeeping Medal, the Senegalese Armed Force’s Medal of Honor, and the Senegalese Air Force’s Medal of Aviation. During his fellowship, Col. Diop gave two presentations on “Reforming Africa’s Armed Forces”: “Five Reasons Why Action Is Needed Now” (Decem- ber 11, 2008) and “Five Ways to Improve Civil-Military Relations” (Feb- ruary 25, 2009). His article, “A Review of African Peacekeeping,” ap- AFRICA peared in the January–February 2009 issue of the Journal of International Peace Operations. 4 2008–2009 Fellows Ms. Niemat Kuku (Sudan) he passage of a women’s parliamentary quota, Tscheduled to take effect in 2010, is a notable “achievement in the struggle for women’s rights in Su- dan. Despite this and other tangible victories, however, Sudan faces formidable obstacles on the road to de- mocratization: political instability, the Darfur crisis, the dominance of sharia law in the North, and the absence of comprehensive development strategies that advance “Engendering Democracy in gender equality. Nevertheless, Sudan’s shifting political Sudan: Putting Women’s landscape offers opportunities for women to shape a Rights First” more just, equitable, and democratic society. Women Dates in Residence: must be intimately involved at all levels of the deci- March–July 2009 sion-making and democratization process if they are [email protected] to influence a nation’s development and provide for their own basic and strategic needs. The full inclusion of women in public life calls for an integrated policy framework that incorporates respect for women’s rights “Women must be conventions, gender mainstreaming, gender equal- ity, and the participation of women in policy making intimately involved and the democratic process. Taken separately, each ap- at all levels of the proach is limited in its ability to enhance women’s rights. decision-making When integrated into a stra- and democratiza- tegic framework, however, political parties, government tion process if they actors, and civil society ad- are to influence a vocates possess a powerful nation’s develop- toolkit with which to fully ‘engender’ democracy. ment and provide ” for their own ba- —Niemat Kuku, June 17, 2009 sic and strategic Ms. Niemat Kuku is coordinator of the Research Program at the Gen- needs.” der Center for Research and Training