Political Reform

Several Syrian opposition activists engaged in a project known as “The Day After” appeared at the USIP on October 4 to discuss the challenges of achieving a post-Assad democratic transition amid intensifying violence, militarization of the revolution, sectarian tensions and repression by the Syrian regime.

In The New York Times, USIP President Jim Marshall outlines the strategic importance of ensuring a legitimate election in Afghanistan and Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s great opportunity to strengthen his country’s democracy.

Frances Z. Brown and William Byrd, two of USIP's Afghanistan specialists, discuss the challenges facing Afghanistan in transitioning to full national control over its security and domestic affairs as international military activity and other assistance wind down.

Countries transitioning to democracy must change old models of organizing the police, armed services, and intelligence services, which typically were characterized by mistreatment of the public, for models that stress transparency, accountability, and citizen involvement. Yet each new government in the Middle East and North Africa must tailor its reforms carefully and patiently in order to avoid backlash among security services.

Contrary to some views, Afghanistan has been and can be governed effectively and be politically stable. But history indicates that overly ambitious and rushed modernization efforts are likely to face sharp domestic reactions that can set development back, sometimes for decades.

Afghanistan’s Presidential Decree of July 21 has been billed as an “anti-corruption decree,” setting forth the Afghan government’s concrete plans for fighting corruption. But even a cursory reading reveals the decree is about far more than just anti-corruption. In fact, it appears to be a detailed short-term work program for 32 government ministries and agencies, also including suggestions for actions by the National Assembly and the Supreme Court.

Eight months after the popular uprisings in Yemen and five months after President Abdo Rabo Mansour Hadi took the presidency, Yemenis are eager to embark on the justice and security reforms that they demanded during their 11-month long revolution.  To support the transition process, USIP has begun to conduct research on local-level justice issues in Yemen and provide information on comparative experiences of other transitional countries on both “top down” and “bottom up” rule of law and legal empowerment initiatives. 

USIP's senior adviser for Middle East initiatives, Steven Heydemann, discusses “The Day After” project, a Syrian-led effort to plan for a post-Assad transition.