FIIA Report On Reevaluating Concept Of Failed States

Posted: 07/29/2010
In the post-9/11 world, both the defense and development communities have focused heavily on the need to address “failed states.”  While the defense industry has focused on the threat of terrorism emerging from such areas, the development community has latched onto these efforts and intertwined its case for the importance of institution building to reduce poverty.  Recently, some academics have begun to question the use of the term “failed state.”  The term, they argue, is misleading, as it typically refers to areas that are being governed, just not governed in the way that West believes is optimal.   Louise Wiuff Moe at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs has published a report, which addresses this issue.  She argues that policymakers should develop strategies which do a better job of recognizing local forms of legitimacy. External actors engaged in peace and state-building need to pay greater attention to contextual empirical conditions for sustainable political order and peace. Despite an increasing focus on state-society relations within the field of peace and state-building, there are many non-state actors and institutions that are currently left outside the dominating reconstruction discourse, even though they significantly influence, or have the potential to influence, state- and peace-building processes (positively as well as negatively). Greater awareness of ‘what is there’ can help prevent the situation where donors affiliate themselves with political elites and strongmen who are willing and able to mimic Western conceptions of ‘political order’, but who do not represent or promote the interests of the broader population. Additionally, a better understanding of the dynamics, politics and agency within so-called fragile settings can open the eyes of external actors to new alternative pathways for constructive change beyond the liberal institutional model.

Read full story. Source: ElectionGuide Digest

Albania To Test Electronic Voting In Selected Zones

Posted: 07/27/2010
TIRANA, Albania -- The government is working on a pilot project to test fingerprint technology in elections. Minister for Technology and Innovation G...

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Burundi: Boycott Cedes Power To Ruling Party

Posted: 07/27/2010
The coalition of 11 major opposition parties which boycotted July 23 national assembly elections will also boycott elections to the senate on July 28.

Read full story. Source: AllAfrica News: Latest

Burundians Vote In Parliamentary Election

Posted: 07/27/2010
Burundi’s ruling party won parliamentary elections held on Tuesday. Official results from the National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) showed that President Pierre NKURUNZIZA’s CNDD-FDD party captured 81.19 percent of the votes in the parliamentary election. This was the third recent election in Burundi. On July 23, NKURUNZIZA won re-election without any opposition, as his opponents all boycotted the polls.

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Funding Setbacks May Delay CAR Elections

Posted: 07/27/2010
Presidential and Legislative elections in the Central African Republic will probably be delayed due to lack of funding, the election commission announced on Tuesday. This will mark the fourth time the polls, which were recently scheduled for October 24, have been postponed. The European Union mission in the Central African Republic announced that they would be willing to raise the initial money required, but only if the country finalizes an electoral timetable.

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Solomons’ Election Creates Rice Shortage

Posted: 07/26/2010
Honiara, the capital city of the Solomon Islands, experienced rice shortages this week, which some suspect is due to parliamentary candidates shipping the staple food to rural areas of the country. According to the Solomon Star, candidates are attempting to lure voters to their rural constituencies so they can cast votes for parliamentary elections on August 4. The government has increased its police presence on the streets of Honiara in anticipation of the contest. Four years ago, residents of Honiara rioted after the parliamentary elections

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Nigeria: Election Chief Gives Reassurance On Polls Date

Posted: 07/25/2010
Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega yesterday clarified his position on the 2011 general elections and said the commission was not seeking the postponement beyond 120 or 150 days to the May 29 swearing-in date stipulated by the newly amended constitution.

Read full story. Source: AllAfrica News: Latest

Kenya: Commission Warns Of Tensions Over Constitution Referendum

Posted: 07/25/2010
The National Cohesion and Integration Commission has sounded alarm over nationwide tension and potential violence surrounding the August 4 vote.

Read full story. Source: AllAfrica News: Latest

Kenya: The Great Rift

Posted: 07/23/2010
A most intriguing political development occasioned by the constitutional referendum is how former President Daniel Arap Moi and his onetime political protege, William Ruto, have closed ranks to lead the NO campaign. It is said that in politics there are no permanent friends or foes, only permanent interests. Do Moi and Ruto have permanent interests, and are these threatened by the proposed constitution? Attempting to answer this question is as interesting and insightful as it is essential to understanding the political ramifications of the proposed constitution.

Read full story. Source: AllAfrica News: Latest

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