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Research Information

Title "From the American People:" Democracy Promotion Abroad and the New Government of Southern Sudan
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Type Thesis
Length 158 Pages
Area Government
Advisor John M. Carey
Composed 2007
Summary Throughout the developing world, Western donors contribute millions of dollars towards democratization efforts. An important question eludes a concrete answer within the political science scholarship: Does democracy assistance contribute to lasting democratic institution building in post-conflict states? I address this question by examining the current democracy promotion effort in Southern Sudan. While a much publicized humanitarian crisis rages in the Darfur region of western Sudan, the South is in the midst of one of the most exciting yet extremely complex moments in its tumultuous history since the time of Sudanese independence. In January of 2005, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between rebel Southern forces and the central government in Khartoum marked the beginning of a hopeful democratic transition. The South has been granted regional autonomy, and a referendum on independence from greater Sudan is scheduled for 2011. In answering the question above, this study investigates the effectiveness of current democracy promotion in Southern Sudan by assessing the effects of programming in three distinct areas generally acknowledged to be critical to the establishment of democracy: political institutions, civil society, and ethnic conciliation. I find that, in many cases, the efforts of Western aid organizations are misguided. Considerable revision is in order for democracy promotion to have its intended effect.

Author Information

Name Kathleen Donald
Picture PIC
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College Dartmouth
Grad Year Not Provided
Extended Info Not Provided