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New Atlanticist

Jul 29, 2013

Zimbabwe’s Irrelevant Election

By Bronwyn Bruton

Elections scheduled for Wednesday in Zimbabwe are shaping up to be an absolute disaster. They were organized on short notice and without adequate budget, so promise to be plagued with irregularities. Some will be deliberate—the ruling party is expected to rig the vote and violently harass the political opposition—but enormous lines, unprinted ballots, and disorganized […]

Elections
Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Jul 25, 2013

Mali’s Election: Good enough, but not sufficient

By J. Peter Pham

Nearly a year and a half after a coup brought down its elected government, inadvertently paving the way for the takeover of the northern two-thirds of the country by ethnic separatists temporarily aligned with al-Qaeda’s regional affiliate and other extremists, and seven months after a French-led military intervention turned back the insurgents, scattering the militants […]

Elections
Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Jul 23, 2013

Egypt’s Coup-Friendly Liberal Democrats

By Rajan Menon

More than a few of Egypt’s democrats have hailed the country’s military brass for enabling a popular revolution, carrying out the people’s will, and deposing an authoritarian leader. This has created an awkward situation for American democracy promoters, who are put in the position of supporting their liberal allies while sometimes denying that what occurred […]

Elections
North Africa

New Atlanticist

Jul 22, 2013

Secularists Need Unity to Take on Political Islam

By Barbara Slavin

For millions of Egyptians, there is a palpable sense of relief that their president is no longer Mohamed Morsi. But for Egypt’s democratic “do-over” to succeed, the forces that came together to persuade the army to remove Morsi will have to unite behind a viable electoral alternative.

Elections
Iran

New Atlanticist

Jul 18, 2013

Georgia’s Argument for the Virtues of Divided Government

By Michael Cecire and Laura Linderman

Doom and gloom have dominated the narrative during the nine months since Georgia’s October 2012 parliamentary elections. Since the Georgian Dream (GD) coalition won a surprise victory at the polls over the incumbent United National Movement (UNM), chaos and polarization have characterized the political landscape. Cohabitation, in which GD’s Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili must share […]

Elections
Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Jul 17, 2013

No Time to Turn Our Backs on Egypt

By Brent Scowcroft and Eric D.K. Melby

In the wake of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s eviction from office by the country’s military amid an unprecedented mass uprising, there have been calls for Washington to reduce or suspend its aid to this critical ally in the Middle East. Such action would be short-sighted and represent a vote of no confidence in Egypt, not […]

Elections
North Africa

New Atlanticist

Jul 12, 2013

End of the Military Strongman?

By Kathryn Alexeeff

The success of Pakistan’s democratic elections in May and the outcome of the recent protests in Egypt point to a shift in both countries’ military participation in politics – while they will support or depose governments, they no longer seem interested in ruling the countries themselves.

Economy & Business
Elections

New Atlanticist

Jul 8, 2013

Egypt: A Coup Is What it Is

By Rajan Menon

On Wednesday, Egypt’s military, long the country’s most powerful political institution and an outfit with a massive economic empire, deposed Mohamed Morsi, the only Egyptian president ever to attain office by winning an election in which all political parties could compete on an equal footing.

Elections
North Africa

New Atlanticist

Jun 24, 2013

Rowhani’s Iran

By R. Nicholas Burns

Hassan Rowhani’s surprise victory in Iran’s presidential election last week carries important implications for the country’s future as well as for its tortured relationship with the United States. Rowhani overturned nearly all predictions and the carefully laid plans of Iran’s leadership by defeating a group of much more conservative candidates. In a field of gray […]

Elections
Iran
Turkey Gezi Park

New Atlanticist

Jun 21, 2013

Turkey: Calm Returns – but Calm Before What?

By Ross Wilson

Tomorrow’s headlines could be different, but Istanbul seems to calming after the protests and violence that have wracked the city since late May.  Looking back, what took place is significant and in many respects unprecedented. 

Elections
Politics & Diplomacy

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