2010 in Review

Once again, we’ve spent the year expanding D&S.   We have new contributors, including David, Elizabeth and Imara, D&S is now on Facebook, we published the Spring 2010 issue, with the Fall issue on the way, the complete archives are now available, we added a page of special reports from the CDACS and DG staff and students and we continued to provide quality snark and commentary on foreign affairs and international development.

Here’s a brief review to ring out the old year.

Top Posts

On Facebook

• Federalism and Democracy Development
• I Can’t Believe these People Govern Us
• Human Rights, Media Manipulation and Technological Attacks
• Diplomacy and Development: Best Friends for Life
• Busted

On the Blog

Returning from last year, Why Do People Protest still lands in the Top 5 posts on the blog.  The other Top 5 posts are:

• The Simpsons Turn 20
• Here’s a Dumb Idea
• The ‘Africa Porn’ Problem
• Event: Emerging Leaders for Democracy

Most Commented

Another of last year’s posts (Obama Needs a Vision Check) continues to be one of the most commented posts.  The others include:

• Freedom of Religion and US Foreign Policy
• I Stand by My Post
• Our Long National Nightmare Is Over
• Economic Success & Regime Change

Thank You

We’d like to say thank you to all of our Fans, Friends and followers, and in particular, to the following for ReTweeting, linking, and generally loving our stuff!

• Gregg Wilhauck at the CIPE Development Blog
• John Brown’s Public Diplomacy Press and Blog Review
• Everyone over at The Democratic Piece
• @SMSLegal @pcdnetwork @mmckone @NDItech @penelopeinparis @auerswald @viewfromthecave @USIP @elizabethcutler @demdigest @vargheseanand @amellionaire @Adamdougl @odonnellm @DavidJandura @SwahiliStreet @xrauscher_ @intljurist @Tobias_B @gerardtmccarthy @CIPEGlobal @iapss @msfsinfo @Grieboski @LisaofArabia @Snov @GUInstituteLSGS @electionguide @woodenbeirut @arenda @Tosk59 @GUConflictRes

Happy New Year from all of us at D&S and Georgetown CDACS!

Afghanistan Election Watch: Photos and Final Thoughts

Talking to a group of Kuchi about the Wolesi Jirga elections

Going to National Democratic Institute’s “Preliminary Observations and Analysis of Afghanistan’s Parliamentary Elections” event last Friday helped me reflect on my own experiences as an election observer there. For example, I couldn’t help but agree with Peter Manikas, Director of NDI’s Asia programs, when he stated that, “This was really 34 elections.” Weeks after the election I’m still learning and reading about things that allegedly happened in places like Wardak and Ghor that seem to contrast sharply with what our teams saw in Panjshir. Continue reading »

Afghanistan Election Watch pt. II: Actual Results May Vary

It was easy to be impressed with some of the things we witnessed in Panjshir Province on Election Day last week. After waking up at 4am, driving to a region beyond the reach of the only paved road around, and then hiking 30 minutes into the mountains, we arrived at our first polling center (comprised of one station each for men and women). My male colleague and out male interpreter were not permitted to enter the women’s station, so I walked alone into the small earthen mosque to observe how well this remote polling station would follow official opening procedures. Continue reading »

Afghanistan Election Watch pt. 1: Location, Location, Location

Shortly after my return from a deployment with the U.S. Army to Uganda, which I blogged about a few times on this site, I was offered the chance to come to Afghanistan as a Long-term Election Observer with Democracy International. Having been deployed here from 2006-7, and with this being such a critical election – and a critical period, generally, for Afghanistan – I enthusiastically accepted the opportunity.

I realized that I might be sent almost anywhere, since Democracy International is endevouring to send observers to a representative sample of locations throughout the country. Part of me wanted to return to Ghazni Province, where I was stationed, to see how things have changed. But Ghazni is apparently such a high-risk area now that it is off limits to our delegation. Which is too bad, because 107 of Ghazni’s 379 polling centers have been closed by Afghanistan’s Independent Electoral Commission due to security concerns – to the protest of many of the province’s residents (see story here) who believe that they are being disenfranchised. Ghazni would have been an interesting place to observe how the ongoing war is affecting the election.

But I am happy to be reporting now from a much smaller, much safer province than Ghazni – which I will not name here, in order to keep my partner and I (and the people we interact with) safe. Like much of the country, it has some astonishing mountain views and a rich local history and culture.

Three of the reasons I am happy to be an LTO here so far (besides the idyllic views) are the following: Continue reading »

Rwanda is still the model for African democracy

MA program alum Deborah recommends this article from the Financial Times on Facebook.  Thanks Deborah!

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