http://www.usip.org/pubs/usipeace_briefings/2008/0626_egypt.html

A summary of a recent conference on the future of democracy in Egypt and the prospects for cooperation between the Islamist and non-Islamist political opposition groups. From the U.S. Institute of Peace

http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp2008/rp08-055.pdf

Outlines the changing parameters of state sovereignty since 1945, traces the development of the Responsibility to Protect doctrine from its genesis in international law, examines the political and legal status of the concept, and highlights the key challenges in its implementation. House of Commons Library Research Paper 08/55.

http://www.usip.org/pubs/usipeace_briefings/2008/0602_niger_delta.html

Covers background and major issues behind the instability in the Niger Delta and what needs to be done by the government of Nigeria and the international community. From the U.S. Institute of Peace.

http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/afdr/2008/

Reports on U.S. efforts to promote democracy and human rights in nondemocratic countries and countries undergoing democratic transitions as mandated by the Advancing Democratic Values Act of 2007. From the State Department

http://www.usip.org/pubs/usipeace_briefings/2008/0523_iraq_interior_ministry.html

Examines the problems of corruption, division, and rivalry which have prevented the Interior Ministry of the Iraq government from stabilizing civilian security services. Offers recommendations for improvement. From the U.S. Institute of Peace

http://www.usip.org/pubs/usipeace_briefings/2008/0415_kenya.html

Examines the chaos following the failed election in December 2007, the series of commissions including the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission and the Constitutional Review Commission set up, and the influence of the National Accord in restoring normality. From the U.S. Institute of Peace.

http://www.usip.org/pubs/usipeace_briefings/2008/0410_syria_human_rights.html

Summarizes presentations from a symposium on human rights in Syria, following a December 2007 government crackdown on democracy activists. From the U.S. Institute of Peace.

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/95-815.pdf

Provides an overview of the major exceptions to the First Amendment and how the Supreme Court has interpreted the guarantee of freedom of speech and press to provide no or only limited protection for some types of expression, such as obscenity, child pornography, and speech that advocates violence or violation of law. From the Congressional Research Service, posted by the Federation of American Scientists.

http://www.usip.org/pubs/usipeace_briefings/2008/0319_iraqi_politics.html

Examines how three laws relating to provincial powers, amnesty, and the budget came to be approved and how they could begin to transform efforts toward democracy in Iraq. From the U.S. Institute of Peace.

http://www.usip.org/pubs/specialreports/sr204.pdf

Provides practical guidance on how qualitative structural analogy models and quantitative statistical models can be used together to generate more accurate forecasts for instances of political instability and mass violence. From the U.S. Institute of Peace.

http://www.fas.org/irp/nic/african_democ_2008.pdf

Proceedings from a 2007 conference on whether African nations are institutionalizing democratic processes and practices. From the National Intelligence Council.