An Indonesian provincial election dispute that once threatened to erupt in violence appears to be sputtering to an anticlimactic close, more evidence that Indonesia's democratic institutions are working. The North Maluku poll was marked by allegations of rigging, disputed counting, biased election supervisors and clashes in the street. The long drawn out electoral battle is not over yet. In early February, all eyes will be on the Constitutional Court to see whether it will agree to review a petition that effectively supports the losing side. If it does, the province could be thrown into political turmoil again. If it refuses, the North Maluku election may end up as little more than a historical footnote to Indonesia's democratisation.
15 January 2009
One of Barack Obama’s early moves will likely be to engage in the kind of regional diplomacy his predecessor shunned, notably by “talking to the enemy”, but how should he engage Syria concretely?
13 January 2009
Liberia has gone far since Charles Taylor was overthrown, but its security reform has serious gaps, and the biggest challenges are just beginning.
The International Crisis Group (Crisis Group) is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation, with some 135 staff members on five continents, working through field-based analysis and high-level advocacy to prevent and resolve deadly conflict.