By Barbara Borst — Guatemalans paid a terrible price for decades of conflict: 200,000 people dead or forcibly disappeared, the vast majority of them Maya civilians killed by members and allies of […]
Egypt: Reflections on Revolution
Professor Khaled Fahmy says that Egypt’s transition from autocracy since January 2011 has been difficult because the society is dealing with two large questions simultaneously – one concerns modernization and political change, the other religion and culture.
Living up to the Mandela Legend
By Barbara Borst — As a journalist reporting from South Africa during the worst township violence of the 1980s, I came to know Nelson Mandela indirectly through the people who struggled for […]
Ghanaians gain ground on oil wealth accountability
By Barbara Borst — Sudden oil wealth sounds like a winning lottery ticket, but too often, it breeds corruption, economic dislocation and conflict. In Ghana, citizen groups began pushing for accountability soon […]
US: Is this the best way to finance elections?
By Barbara Borst — Money has swaggered through U.S. elections for decades – buying television ads, robo-calls and bumper stickers. But this year, it has been up to new tricks. The 2010 […]
Corruption vs. Free Speech: What does money do in US elections?
By Barbara Borst — Measuring the exact impact of money on voters has proved hard to do. More often the focus is on how money alters the behavior of politicians or affects […]
Ghana strives to beat the resource curse and turn oil into a blessing
By Barbara Borst — Nigeria lies less than 200 miles from Ghana along the western bulge of Africa – close enough to show Ghanaians how dangerous oil wealth can be for a […]
CIVIC IDEAS 