Week 4: Advancing the Rule of Law
I cannot believe I have already been at NCSC for a month. These past four weeks have gone by incredibly fast, and I have had the opportunity to work on so many assignments. This past week consisted of a lot of research and writing. One of my assignments has been to research the European Commission's Progress Reports on Albania, Kosovo, and North Macedonia. NCSC is trying to assess regional trends in Europe by looking at their rule of law and fundamental rights. In particular, I researched how their judiciaries function, including the management bodies, the institutional framework, and the legal framework. I also examined how these countries are executing the fight against organized crime and terrorism. The overall goal was to write a report illustrating these trends and whether their rule of law was strengthening or deteriorating. I really enjoyed this assignment because I was unfamiliar with this region of the world prior to conducting my research. Thus far, I have researched and learned about countries in Europe, The Caribbean, and Asia. Next week, I am beginning a new research project on legal research centers in South Africa. It has been a great experience getting to learn about different areas of the world, while improving my research and writing skills.
Aside from the research and writing, I also have the opportunity to go to various rule of law events in DC. On Friday, the interns went to a panel on the migration debate in Central America. The panelists discussed long term strategies in solving the root causes of emigration in northern Central America, specifically in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. One of the recommendations the panelists made was to shift the narrative in the U.S. from focusing on immigration to a narrative that focuses on the defense of human rights, the promotion of inclusive development, and the strengthening of democratic institutions. Overall, the debate was a great way to learn more in depth about the migration debate from the perspective of several Central American and U.S. policy analysts.
Additionally, the debate coincided perfectly with this week's learning session with Tim. We read a book called Advancing the Rule of Law Abroad by Rachel Kleinfeld. We discussed the different approaches in advancing the rule of law, such as a top-down or bottom-up approach. A top-down approach focuses on providing funding and technical assistance to rule of law institutions; whereas, a bottom-up approach focuses on providing funding and technical assistance to civil society. Typically, NCSC takes a top-down approach. NCSC works to initially build relationships with these countries before working to create a new program. Building relationships allows NCSC to understand the goals and needs of the country, without going in with a pre-conceived idea on how the country should strengthen their rule of law. This is especially important in respecting the culture, laws, and institutions already in place. Often times, donor governments will work with developing nations to strengthen their rule of law, but the donor government is setting the rules and requirements. After having a great discussion with the Vice President of NCSC, he discussed how he believes building relationships with the governmental officials and letting them decide what needs should be met is the best approach, and I agree. The book points out the failed attempts the U.S. has made in advancing the rule of law abroad, simply because the U.S. government focuses on improving the institutions of these developing countries to fit the U.S. or Western style model. However, it is important to realize that the U.S. doesn't have the "best" model, and the U.S. model might not function properly in other countries, which is why taking into account culture and the political will of civil society is so important.
I really enjoy having these learning sessions with Tim and also having the opportunity to discuss with Jeff how NCSC applies its mission abroad. In only four weeks, I have learned so much about the rule of law and how rule of law programs initiate with either donor countries or non-profits, like NCSC. Apart from the busy work week, I did have a chance to do some fun activities over the weekend. Saturday, I had the chance to explore the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. I had seen it before, but it never ceases to amaze me. My goal in the next 6 weeks is to attend at least one of the Smithsonian's museums per weekend. Sunday, my friends and I went to the Daily Show's Trump Presidential Twitter Library. It was a pop-up exhibit that showcased the "finest works" from President Trump's Twitter collection. After standing in line for an hour, I would say it was worth seeing. :)