Blogs
The UK Turns High-Level Attention to Nepal’s Fight Against Gender-Based Violence
On June 12, the UK’s Equalities Minister, Lynne Featherstone, arrived in Kathmandu on a three-day visit to share her experiences in combating violence against women and to learn how Nepal is tackling the issue. Heralded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) as the new “Violence Against Women Champion,” it is no surprise that Ms. Featherstone chose Nepal as her first destinati [...]
New Book Examines Global Democratization
Below is a foreword written by The Asia Foundation’s Country Representative in Nepal George Varughese to a new book, “Democratization Around the World: New Insights from South East Asia, Turkey, Kosovo, Taiwan, and Ghana,” edited by Daniel Stockemer and published by Edwin Mellen Press. The idea of “rule by the people” or democracy is widely accepted as a good and desirable thing these days. Almost [...]
Nepal Averts Constitutional Crisis: Hope for Democratic Future Kept Alive
Around midnight on May 28, 2010, Nepali lawmakers took a stunning last-minute emergency action that served to keep hopes for a democratic constitutional republic and a stable nation alive in Nepal: by an overwhelming majority the Eighth Amendment Bill to the interim constitution to extend the Constituent Assembly’s tenure by one year was passed. Of the 585 lawmakers present in what was to be the f [...]
Afghanistan in 2008: A Survey of the Afghan People
Afghanistan has been through increasingly difficult times in the 12 months since The Asia Foundation conducted its last survey of Afghan public opinion in the summer of 2007. Amidst slow but steady gains in vital basic amenities and services and some successes in reconstruction efforts across the country, the conflict resulted in significantly higher civilian and military casualties; food shortage [...]
In Afghanistan: The Afghan People’s Opinions in 2007
On Tuesday, The Asia Foundation released “Afghanistan in 2007: A Survey of the Afghan People,” which covers the largest population sample ever surveyed at one time in all 34 of Afghanistan’s provinces. This survey follows polls conducted by the Foundation in 2004 and 2006. Collectively the three surveys establish an accurate and long-term barometer of public opinion across Afghanistan to help asse [...]
In Afghanistan: Governance Reform Through Survey Research
Achievements in Afghanistan’s political, social, and economic development may prove short-lived if donor, government, and public support for continued progress falter during the next several critical years of transition. The initial stages of transition have been difficult, with both donors and the Afghan government struggling to define their roles and responsibilities for a long-term development [...]