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Government & Politics
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GOVERNMENTS
NORTH KOREA COLLAPSE SCENARIOS. Brookings Institute. Michael E. O’Hanlon. June 2009.
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Regime change in North Korea is inevitable, according to the report. It is impossible for analysts to know how or when the current leadership will cease to rule the country; a stable and incremental evolution to a more humane regime is hoped for, but we cannot rule out the possibility of a sudden collapse of the North Korean state. Such a scenario is only one of many, and it is probably not even the most likely one, but North Korea’s continued development of nuclear devices makes the cost of mishandling a possible collapse so high that all contingencies must be planned for.[Note: contains copyright material].
UNCERTAIN TIMES AFTER LEBANON’S VOTE. Council on Foreign Relations. Mohamad Bazzi and Bernard Gwertzman. June 8, 2009.
Full Text: [HTML format, various paging] The Western-backed coalition retained a majority in the Lebanese parliament after a much-anticipated election. Mohamad Bazzi, a former chief Middle Eastern correspondent for Newsday, says that a tipping point in the elections may have been the call by the Maronite Christian patriarch, Nasrallah Sfeir, for Christian voters to support the existing pro-Western government and not throw their backing to the Christian faction led by Michel Aoun, part of the Hezbollah-led opposition. That seems to have allowed the government to keep its majority and to take the lead in forming the next government. A crucial question now is whether the government decides to keep the so-called Doha formula which gave Hezbollah and its allies "blocking" power in the cabinet to prevent laws from being passed they did not want, or whether the government tries to operate without that concession.
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INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
AA09195
Brooks, Stephen; Wohlforth, William RESHAPING THE WORLD ORDER: HOW WASHINGTON SHOULD REFORM INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS (Foreign Affairs, vol. 88, no. 2, March-April 2009, pp. 49-63)
Available on request
The authors, academics at Dartmouth College, propose a strategic approach rather than a recipe for reform and present the case for Washington leading the reform process. They believe that the existing architecture is out of sync with today’s world of rising powers and new challenges; as interdependence among countries intensifies and the list of global problems that the U.S. can’t resolve on its own grows, the benefits of international institutions will increase. Despite the fact that the Bush administration has squandered much goodwill in the past eight years, the U.S. has the means and the motive to spearhead the foundation of a new institutional order. It should follow a strategy that highlights the benefits of the institutional revisions, links the proposed order to the current one, and uses the United States’ position of influence to persuade other governments to sign on to reform.
CONSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK
POLITICS
AA09183
Coutu, Diane SMART POWER: GREAT LEADERS KNOW WHEN HARD POWER IS NOT ENOUGH (Harvard Business Review, vol. 86, no. 11, November 2008, pp. 55-59)
Available on request
In this interview with Joseph Nye, former American government official as well as former dean of Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy’s School of Government, the author, senior editor at HBR, discusses challenges ahead for the U.S., including combining hard power, characterized by coercion, and “soft” power, which relies on attraction. The combination of hard and “soft” power results in smart power, a tool used to mobilize people around agendas that look beyond current problems. Although some men have used smart power, it is particularly difficult for women to lead with it, since there is often pressure for them to prove they are not “soft”. Power is a tool, with clear communication serving as one of its most effective instruments.
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
BUILDING A DIGITAL EUROPE. RAND Corporation. Neil Robinson et al. June 3, 2009.
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This paper presents pointers on what is required to deliver a secure e-Government environment for mobile European citizens, based on the lessons learned from existing services and initiatives and identified challenges in the national and pan-European environments. [Note: contains copyright material].
REBUILDING IRAQ: IMPROVED MANAGEMENT CONTROLS AND IRAQI COMMITMENT NEEDED FOR KEY STATE AND USAID CAPACITY-BUILDING PROGRAMS. U.S. Government Accountability Office. June 3, 2009.
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Since 2003, the United States has provided $49 billion to help rebuild Iraq. To build the capacity of Iraq’s central and provincial governments to sustain this effort, the United States is implementing programs including Department of State’s (State) Provincial Reconstruction Development Committee (PRDC) and the U.S. Agency for International Development’s
(USAID) National Capacity Development (NCD). The use of key management controls, such as appropriate organizational structure and program monitoring, helps ensure programs achieve their objectives.
THE BEST PLACES TO WORK IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT 2009. Partnership for Public Service and American University Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation. May 2009.
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The rankings include the top five with Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Government Accountability Office, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Intelligence Community, and the Department of State. [Note: contains copyright material].
WASTE, FRAUD, AND ABUSE IN AGENCY TRAVEL CARD PROGRAMS. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress. Garrett Hatch. May 13, 2009.
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Since the enactment of the Travel and Transportation Reform Act (TTRA) of 1998 (P.L. 105- 264), which required federal employees to use travel charge cards to pay for the expenses of official government travel, the dollar volume of travel card transactions has increased significantly, growing from $4.39 billion in FY1999 to $8.28 billion in FY2008. While the purpose of mandating the use of travel cards was to reduce costs and improve managerial oversight of employee travel expenditures, audits of agency travel card programs conducted since the enactment of the TTRA have found varying degrees of waste, fraud, and abuse at a number of agencies.
DEMOCRACY & CIVIL SOCIETY
AA09191
Benjamin, Dave PROTECTING THE PROTECTORS: NGO ACTION AND THE RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT (International Journal on World Peace, vol. 26, no. 1, March 2009, pp. 31–50)
Available on request
According to Benjamin, assistant professor of international political economy at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) are facing increasing threats as internal conflict in states rises. Benjamin says that as NGOs and INGOs play a bigger role in shaping international humanitarian policy, they become more vulnerable. Because NGOs have no official ties to any government, Benjamin says they cannot rely on protection by the UN or under international law. Benjamin also notes that NGOs can fall prey to internal conflicts, and often fall into the habit of promoting reforms based on Western economic models and can overlook local, older social structures and norms. He notes that NGOs and INGOs walk a fine line between humanitarian intervention and cultural chauvinism; they are playing an increasingly important role in shaping the framework for countries with internal conflicts. Despite the pitfalls, Benjamin says NGOs and INGOs have great potential for “preserving the peace, protecting the vulnerable, and securing humanity’s common future,” and for this reason, they should be afforded the same protections as states and individuals.
INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEER SERVICE: A SMART WAY TO BUILD BRIDGES. Brookings Institute. David Caprara et al. June 2009.
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President Obama has proposed expanding the Peace Corps and building a global network of volunteers, “so that Americans work side-by-side with volunteers from other countries.” The authors examine alternative service models, both domestic and foreign, and offer recommendations to the Obama Administration for harnessing the energy and skills of Americans eager to engage in volunteer work in foreign countries as part of a multilateral mobilization effort and smart power diplomacy. [Note: contains copyright material].
CROSSROADS ON CUBA: WILL DEMOCRACY OR SOVEREIGNTY PREVAIL? Brookings Institute. Ted Piccone. June 2, 2009.
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The annual meeting of the hemisphere’s foreign ministers typically does not garner much attention, says the author. However, the gathering in San Pedro Sula, Honduras is likely to be different. Thanks to a surging movement led by Nicaragua and Venezuela, Cuba’s readmission to the world’s oldest regional organization, the Organization of American States (OAS), is on the agenda. The question of Cuba’s suitability for membership in an organization that defines promoting and defending democracy as one of its core purposes presents a defining moment for Latin America as much as the United States. [Note: contains copyright material].
ELECTIONS
IRAN ELECTIONS. U.S. Institute of Peace. June 15, 2009.
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Iranian officials declared Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the official winner of the presidential election on June 13, but opponents insist the vote was rigged. Iran's Interior Ministry said Ahmadinejad won 62.6 percent of the vote, with the reformist candidate and lead challenger, Mir Hussein Moussavi, taking just under 34 percent. Turnout was a record 85 percent, according to the Interior Ministry. An U.S. Institute of Peace expert assesses the developments and answers questions about the Iranian election. [Note: contains copyright material].
REACTING TO IRAN’S DISPUTED PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OUTCOME. Brookings Institution. Suzanne Maloney. June 14, 2009.
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Saturday’s declaration that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had won a landslide victory for a second term moved the country’s perennially unpredictable politics into uncharted territory, according to the report. The patently implausible outcome sparked disbelief, defiance, and violent reprisals on the streets, jeopardizing the stability and legitimacy of the Islamic regime and complicating U.S. President Barack Obama’s efforts to engage directly with Tehran as a means of blunting its nuclear ambitions. [Note: contains copyright material].
PRESIDENTIAL POWER IN IRAN. Council on Foreign Relations. Greg Bruno and Jamal Afridi. June 10, 2009.
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Iran's Supreme Leader remains the regime's ultimate authority but the spirited campaign for the country's June 12 presidential election has raised new interest in the role and power of the head of state. [Note: contains copyright material].
IRAN’S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: WHAT TO WATCH FOR. Brookings Institute. Suzanne Maloney. June 5, 2009.
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Iranians go to the polls on June 12 in what is shaping up to be the most contentious ballot in the thirty years since the overthrow of the Pahlavi monarchy and the establishment of the world’s first modern theocracy. The ballot will determine the political fate of Iran’s provocative president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and more broadly will signal the future of the country’s volatile political course and the prospects for improvement in its long-troubled relationship with Washington, according to the report. [Note: contains copyright material].
2008 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN FINANCIAL ACTIVITY SUMMARIZED: RECEIPTS NEARLY DOUBLE 2004 TOTAL. U.S. Federal Election Commission. Judith Ingram et al. June 8, 2009.
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Financial activity of 2008 presidential candidates and national party convention committees increased 80% in receipts over the 2004 presidential election, totaling more than $1.8 billion. The Republican presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain (AZ), received $84.1 million in public funds to conduct his general election campaign and raised an additional $46.4 million for legal and accounting expenses. The Democratic presidential nominee, then-Sen. Barack Obama (IL), raised a total of $745.7 million in private funds for his primary nomination and general election campaign. It was the first time in the history of presidential public financing that a major party nominee declined to accept public funds for the general election.
LEBANON’S PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS: ANTICIPATING OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES. U.S. Institute of Peace. Mona Yacoubian.June 1, 2009.
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This report is the first of two papers addressing Lebanon's parliamentary elections. It is based on research conducted in Lebanon as part of a pre-election observation trip sponsored by the National Democratic Institute as well as the author's ongoing work as director of the Institute's Lebanon Working Group. Topics discussed include power-sharing in Lebanon; opportunities for reform; electoral challenges; and stakes in the Lebanese parliamentary elections. [Note: contains copyright material].