In some countries, the unexpected death of a president sets off a chaotic scramble for power, with constitutional guidelines for succession largely ignored. But faced with just that predicament, Ghana went the opposite route. President John Atta Mills died unexpectedly of throat cancer on Tuesday, but there was no confusion or uncertainly concerning the next step, as Vice President John Mahama was calmly sworn in to replace him only hours later.
Mills’ passing is a tragic loss for Ghana and Africa, but the swift and peaceful transfer of authority to his deputy is a victory. Ghana has long been held up as a model for democratic governance in Africa, and this handover solidified that standing. The strength of Ghana’s democratic institutions is all the more impressive when compared to other once-promising democracies, such as Mali, that have succumbed to conflict and military coups. | Read more
If Burma’s recent political reforms are to continue, they must be underpinned by “tangible, equitable and sustained economic progress,” writes USIP’s Raymond Gilpin in a new blog post on the International Network for Economics and Conflict (INEC).
In 2009, the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that the U.S. would pursue a strategy of “pragmatic engagement” with Burma. According to Gilpin, “pragmatic engagement essentially means that the Burmese political system may not be where we would like it to be, but we are willing to work with what we have got. This does not suggest acceptance of regime excesses, institutional failings or governance weaknesses. Rather, it is a recognition that recent steps towards political reform could augur well for the opening of political space and the institutionalization of political will for much-needed change.“
Burma’s economy – which is expected to grow by over 6 percent annually for the rest of this decade – could be boosted by a similar “pragmatic engagement” approach to the country’s private sector.
See how this approach could reward entrepreneurship, gradually dismantle the narco-economy, and encourage other positive reforms. | Read more on INEC
Watch Scott Smith, deputy director of USIP Afghanistan programs, assess the two schools of thought at a July 18 event on Afghanistan's economic and governance agenda after the Tokyo Conference: | Read more
Minutes into the first scene of the championship rounds, before any of the competitions had started and before any winners or losers could be identified, one of the youth qualifiers started to cry.
Rania (name changed for her privacy) was then a 16-year-old Kurdish girl from Mosul who had relocated to Erbil not too long before she joined the cast of youth competitors in the USIP-supported, Iraqi-produced TV series “Salam Shabab,” or “Peace Youth,” aimed at empowering Iraqi youth to be active peacebuilders in their communities. In Mosul, she and her family had been closely affected by the violence that engulfed Iraq in 2006 and 2007. They moved to Erbil, in the Kurdistan region, to escape insecurity and persecution in central Iraq. Rania had naturally felt out of place in her new home, isolated culturally and linguistically. Her feelings of separation were layered over the long-standing tension between Kurds and Arabs present in her family and community throughout her life. | Read more
Yesterday's blast in Damascus killed Asef Shawkat, President Bashar al-Assad's brother-in-law and what The New York Times called a "top enforcer of his embattled government" who was seen as a strong loyalist to Assad personally. He was killed, along with Assad's defense minister and a former defense minister in what was thought to be a secure room in Damascus. "The attack dealt a grave blow to the leadership of the government's war machine and struck an even bigger psychological one to its ability to project a sense of power and cohesion," the NYT's David Kirkpatrick and Kareem Fahim wrote today.
The death of the three brings new momentum to opponents of the regime as they seek to loosen Assad's up-until-now tight grip on power and clearly shakes the confidence, not only of Assad, but of those around him, that this really could be the beginning of the end. | Read more
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s brother-in-law and his defense minister were killed Wednesday in a suicide bomb attack during a meeting of a “crisis group of senior ministers” in Damascus, according to media reports, the first incidence in which such high-ranking regime officials were killed. | Read more
Last week’s news about an Afghan woman executed publicly after being accused of adultery created outrage around the world, from the top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John Allen, to the Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs. President Hamid Karzai called for the arrest of the killers, said by the U.S. and Afghan officials to be members of the Taliban. Kathleen Kuehnast takes a look at the horrific killing of the woman as well as the broader issue of Afghan women in transition. | Read more
Together with our partner the Asia Society, USIP hosted representatives of the Myanmar Development Resources Institute (MDRI) and legal advisers to Burma’s president to Washington, DC. Their visit was part of an informal dialogue process between experts from the U.S. and Burma to explore opportunities to advance relations between the two countries.
In addition to learning about issues related to the rule of law, the Burmese delegation was keen to understand the hallmarks of our democratic system of governance, forged over 200 years. As part of that exploration, the delegation visited the U.S. Congress.
As we walked the Capitol’s hallowed halls, I found myself reflecting on our history and the principles that our country was founded on. As director of the Rule of Law program at USIP, I have always held closely the principle that we are a "nation of laws, not of men." As I stood in the rotunda surveying the paintings depicting different stages of our nation’s development, I found myself in awe of our system and reflecting on the foresight and vision of our founders.
During our visit, we met with a group of congressional staffers from both sides of the aisle who answered questions our Burmese delegation posed to them. They were just as eager to learn first-hand about developments in Burma as the Burmese were to learn from them. | Read more
The last time I was in Tokyo was in January 2008 to attend a meeting of the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board—a group of Afghan and international representatives set up in 2006 to monitor progress in meeting the benchmarks of the Afghanistan Compact.
It was my first visit to Tokyo and my impressions of the city were skewed by Sofia Coppola's highly acclaimed film from five years before, "Lost in Translation." The movie is about a celebrity of diminishing popularity who comes to Tokyo to pick up what might be one of his last big paychecks for making a commercial that milks his earlier fame.
This is not a digression. It is an introduction. | Read more
I often encounter individuals in the peacebuilding sector who feel helpless in dealing with religious conflict, or uncertain about how to engage the religious sector. I understand. But in a place like Iraq where religion has driven violence and conflict, engaging religious dynamics is not an option but a requirement to building sustainable peace.
The truth is, there are often many religious actors who are already doing the work of peace and are eager to do more. And they can achieve significant impact with minimal support. When they incorporate peacebuilding skills and tools into religious frameworks, blend them with indigenous practices, and integrate them into religious education and institutions, communities are better able to develop their own mechanisms for preventing violence.
Such is the case during a recent trip I made to Iraq. | Read more
Believing in the Ritual? Or why the Tokyo Conference on Afghanistan must be followed by a "dialogue of deeds"
July 5, 2012 | by Scott Smith
My colleague Bill Byrd has just written a provocative but thoughtful piece on the limits of what large, international conferences can achieve for Afghanistan. Whatever the benefits are of keeping Afghanistan on the international agenda, Bill is rightly skeptical that these large conferences often confuse talk for action, and raise expectations that are invariably disappointed.
Now, what the International Crisis Group once called Afghanistan's "travelling jamboree" is heading to Tokyo July 8 to discuss post-2014 civilian assistance to Afghanistan. The topic is important, especially since it has been totally overshadowed by the security transition. So the high-level attention will be welcome. But what can really be achieved? | Read more
Welcome to USIP's Olive Branch blog, a place for timely analysis, views from the field and an exchange of ideas about how to build peace and end or prevent conflict. Through its work in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and beyond, the Institute blends its expert analysis with its field work, a dynamic in which each must always inform the other on parallel tracks. We hope that this blog will reflect that spirit of combining thought with action. And we invite you to browse our posts and then send us your own ideas, comments or reflections.
Each blog post and comment posted on the Olive Branch represents the views of the author and not necessarily that of USIP, a non-partisan, congressionally-funded organization that does not advocate for policy positions.
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What Gender Violence Means for Afghan Women
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