Discussion and launch of Promoting the Rule of Law Abroad: In Search of Knowledge, edited by Thomas Carothers.
Ahmadinejad's threat to external security and internal freedoms is bringing forth an opposition coalition that sees more clearly the dangers of confrontation with the West. A nimble U.S. policy, one that plots a strategy beyond the next Security Council vote, can help these forces inside Iran succeed.
Despite the promises made by globalization, in the last twenty years the world’s poorest countries have fallen further behind the rich. At a Carnegie event, Branko Milanovic and Sanjay Reddy of Columbia University discussed why the poorest countries have not caught up.
Frédéric Grare presented his paper, “Pakistan: The Resurgence of Baluch Nationalism,” (published by the Carnegie Endowment in January 2006) which analyzes the conflict in Baluchistan, a Pakistani province straddling Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan
The main obstacle to reform is the lack of any coherent central authority in Lebanon that has institutionalized decision-making mechanisms. The manner in which power is divided among the various sects results in de facto mini-states responsible for all the needs of their constituents, which leads to political and administrative paralysis.
The Lebanese political system, designed to ensure representation for a diverse population, makes it very difficult for one group to gain enough seats in parliament to govern effectively. Therefore, although Syria's withdrawal has restored Lebanon's sovereignty, it has also left a power vacuum that threatens the stability of the country.
Promoting the rule of law has become a major part of Western efforts to spread democracy and market economics around the world. Although programs to foster the rule of law abroad have mushroomed, well-grounded knowledge about what factors ensure success, and why, remains scarce.