Week 10: Abuse of State Resources, Judicial Curriculum, and Swing Votes Softball

by Mark Wilson
My second-to-last week at IFES began with an examination of some feedback I got from my summary of the Nigerian presidential election petitions; feedback was positive again. I had to field a few questions asking for more details on certain parties or the timeline of the process so far. As the defense had finished arguments in all the petitions, the court was now in the deliberation phase. This meant, happily, that the news cycle had calmed down somewhat where these petitions were concerned. I’m sure IFES will pounce on the court’s rulings as soon as they’re released in September.

With the Abuse of State Resources project, while I had been making good progress, the prospect of needing 100 examples began seeming more daunting as deadlines approached. This research especially, while interesting, isn’t something that can be found on Westlaw. As I began to feel like I’d exhausted the sources I’d identified earlier in the summer, I would begin with a classic internet search or a search function on of a few tried-and-true databases from an NGO like Transparency International. Sifting through (literally) hundreds of news articles trying to narrow things down into the 100 most applicable took time. On the bright side, I can now whip out several examples of corruption in government as a fun party trick.

Case law research for IFES seems to have wound down as I continually polished the summaries I had been working on, until the trickle of feedback gradually stopped altogether. Another project crossed off my list!
Keeping an eye on the end of my summer, I also had to circle back to the judicial curriculum modules. If you recall, I’d last felt great about making my way into the fifth of seven modules. Each module contains a facilitator’s guide, a PowerPoint presentation, and a few handouts and had unresolved comments or issues in all three of those areas. As the ASR project took up large chunks of my time this week, more on these to come as I enter my final days in this internship!

Finally, I found an engrossing email in my inbox this week recollecting a thrilling softball encounter between IFES HQ staff and a combined team from the International Republican Institute and the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, & Labor and Dispatch Team! IFES’ team (the “Swing Votes”) beat the combined opposing team in nine innings (there are normally seven in softball). It was great to read a little bit about IFES staff’s activities outside of the office, and it was nice to hear about the warm relations with other organizations dedicated to advancing democracy around the world.

Weekend events: Ford’s Theatre and the Georgetown Waterfront