Does democracy lead to development and the protection of human rights? In light of the Arab Spring Alina Rocha Menocal presents evidence on progress in making the transition to democracy.
A recent ODI event on Libya helped to crystallise some of the dilemmas and tensions embedded in contemporary state-building efforts, both domestic and international.
Protesters attend a rally against Muammar Gaddafi in Benghazi, Libya March 1, 2011
License: Creative Commons
Credit: REUTERS/Suhaib Salem
Source: Flickr
Libya is at a critical juncture in transitioning from decades of dictatorship, with the National Transitional Council entering a complex post-conflict period that will need to tackle the legacies of violence, the remaking of state institutions and rebuilding the relationships between citizens and the state. The significant changes in the political landscape over the last six months still leave unanswered important questions about future priorities, opportunities, sequencing and where challenges and pitfalls are likely to lie. This event aims to discuss those questions, considering the options available for Libyan leaders and citizens, and the role that the international community can play to support the transition.
Alison Evans speaking with Tony Blair at an event jointly hosted by the Overseas Development Institute and Africa Governance Initiative, 'Rethinking leadership for development'.
License: Creative Commons
Source: Africa Governance Initiative
At this event, Tony Blair - patron of the Africa Governance Initiative (AGI) - delivered a speech on leadership and international development. Drawing on his time as Prime Minister and more recently, the work of the Africa Governance Initiative, Tony Blair gave his reflections on the visionary African leaders who are tackling poverty by transforming government, and what the international community needs to do differently to support them.
ODI Director Alison Evans led a discussion with Tony Blair and a high level audience from the development community on the best way to support country ownership, effective leadership and ensure aid effectiveness. This event provided an important contribution to the forthcoming High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan, Korea.
Mass protests erupted in Egypt, the most populous country in the Arab world, in January 2011, as the revolution in Tunisia seemed to inflame an accumulation of grievances against the rule of President Hosni Mubarak. Mubarak resigned and turned over power to the military after 18 days of sustained protests, thereby ending 30 years of autocratic rule.
