Preventing Electoral Violence in Asia: Tools for Practitioners and Policymakers
This 3-day course aims to increase the capacity of practitioners and policymakers to identify triggers of electoral violence and, importantly, to help these actors develop evidence-based strategies to help stem the risk of violence. The design of the course walks through various phases of the election cycle–before, during and after election day–as well as the underutilized time between elections. Making linkages between actual implementation examples from Asia and the unexplored possibilities can help inform international, national and local efforts to promote peaceful elections.
Issue Areas
Post Conflict Reconstruction
Photo credit: Wikimedia – Kazakhstan.
Course Overview
Elections, a hallmark of democracy, have the potential to facilitate the peaceful resolution of political conflict. At times, elections also present significant challenges to peace and security- about 25 percent of elections experience some level of violence, ranging from sporadic intimidation to widespread atrocities. Countries undergoing political transitions or emerging democracies are particularly susceptible to election violence. Moreover, electoral violence often recurs in the same regions of a country, indicating not just that underlying causes of that violence remain unresolved, but that there are opportunities to anticipate and, subsequently, to prevent violence. Electoral violence arguably slows the consolidation of democratic norms and reduces the prospects for long-term, durable peace and stability. Thus, managing the conflict that accompanies political transitions is a critical factor in building strong governing institutions and creating the mechanisms for durable peace. But countries with strong authoritarian legacies or societal diversity—common in many Asian countries—find it difficult to manage political opposition. How can social, political, and economic tensions be managed such that electoral processes can develop effectively, helping to lay the foundation for sustained good governance?
The need for dedicated election violence prevention training continues to grow, given the increasingly recognized relevance of peacebuilding engagement in elections. Election experts often demonstrate a sound knowledge of the technical aspects of electoral processes, and the requirements for organizing free and fair elections; but international and domestic practitioners often lack the theoretical rigor and analytical skills to identify election security risks and apply prevention techniques to address conflict dynamics tied to electoral processes early on. USIP has a unique mandate in its focus on conflict prevention throughout the electoral cycle, and adopts a peacebuilding lens in its Preventing Election Violence course. This focus moves beyond support for democratization and aims to manage conflict scenarios and ensure security around tense election periods.
Both fragile and established democracies in Asia report various forms of electoral violence, ranging from opposition intimidation in Cambodia, to street protests in Thailand, to extremist attacks against election candidates and facilities in Pakistan. With important elections on the horizon in 2018 and 2019, this course will examine specific examples from cases across the region. Not only do these countries have a history of tense and sometimes volatile elections, but their stability is important to their respective regions and the international community at large. This course will identify options for violence prevention through effective strategic planning and early intervention.
Instructors
Debra Liang-Fenton is senior program officer with USIP’s Academy for International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding. Her focus is on exploring strategies for establishing good governance in post-conflict environments, and creating institutional networks for successful transitions. Liang-Fenton is a specialist on issues of human rights, preventing electoral violence, and building foundations for sustainable peace. Full bio.
Jonas Claes is a senior program officer at the U.S. Institute of Peace, where he conducts research and analysis on the prevention of electoral violence and mass atrocities. In this capacity, Claes coordinates prevention projects and consults senior U.S., U.N. and EU officials in fine-tuning prevention practices. He has engaged in election observation, research and training around the world, including in Kenya, Liberia, Bangladesh, Suriname and Honduras. Full bio
Details
Course Dates: February 26 – 28, 2018
The cost of this course is $330.00 USD. Click the orange “Apply” button to begin the application process. It is free to apply for this course. Once the instructor reviews your application and decides if you are accepted, we will contact you for payment of the course fee.
If you are accepted, it is the responsibility of the participant to arrange and pay for lodging and travel to and from the USIP headquarters in Washington, DC, as USIP is not responsible for these arrangements or costs. Participants are also responsible for obtaining their own visas if necessary. Please note that all courses are conducted in English and USIP is unable to provide any translation services.
