Lyla Bashan's Blog, page 3

Democracy and Governance: Rule of Law

In my book, Global: An Extraordinary Guide for Ordinary Heroes, I cover some of the very pressing global issues that need our focus.  Here on my blog, I’ll highlight some of them.  Starting with one that is near and dear to my heart as a democracy and governance expert — one of the cornerstones of democracy and governance: rule of law.

Rule of law

I lived in Tajikistan for two years, while working at the US Embassy. There, traffic police would stand by the side of the road and randomly wave drivers down even though they weren’t breaking any rules. If you got waved down (this never happened to me because of my diplomatic plates), you were supposed to pull over, give the officer a small bribe (just a dollar or two, but this is a lot in a country where the average monthly salary is about $123), and be on your merry way. Meanwhile, all around the officers, drivers were speeding, passing on the left (putting them in the lane facing oncoming traffic!) and making turns from the far lane. The drivers were recklessly aggressive and breaking every traffic law in Tajikistan, but they didn’t get pulled over because there is very weak rule of law there.

Rule of law means that everyone in a country follows the law, no matter who they are. This includes everyday citizens, police officers, politicians, civil servants, and all the way up the chain to the prime minister or president; no one is above the law. The law is the same for rich people as it is for poor people. (Granted, if you’re rich, you can hire better lawyer, but you cannot outright buy your freedom.)

We have amazing rule of law in the US (even though we are still prone to our imperfections!). It covers a wide range of aspects of our society from the daily laws we follow without even thinking about them, to a well-functioning judicial system, to a well-trained and equipped police force, to relatively low violence throughout the country. Rule of law allows citizens to understand what is expected of them and, in turn, know what to expect from their government. And, when an organization or individual steps outside the rule of law in the US, the public outcry is huge.

A simple, practical example of rule of law in the US is that drivers stop at red lights, and go at green lights. If someone runs a red light and a police officer (or camera) sees it, the driver will get a ticket, and have to pay a fine for running the red light. If they don’t think they were breaking the law, they can appear in court to contest their ticket. And, if they don’t pay their fine, they will get additional fines and eventually have to serve jail time. Breaking the law has clear and consistent consequences.

This might all seem a bit obvious, but in practice there are so many steps that have to be taken in order for someone (in this example the driver who ran a red light) to be held responsible for breaking the law. There have to be functioning traffic signals in the first place. There have to be established traffic laws and the driver has to understand these laws. There have to be enough police officers on the police force to make it likely that a police officer will be patrolling and see the driver break the law and/or there has to be good enough infrastructure that there are traffic cameras at intersections. The police officer who stops the driver has to be trained well enough to know the traffic laws and well paid enough to give the driver a ticket instead of asking for a bribe and letting the driver go without a ticket. There also has to be a culture on the police force that discourages corruption even if the police receive sufficient pay. (When a culture of corruption exists, the higher-ups at the police force will demand bribes from their staff, which will put pressure on the police officers to demand bribes from citizens in order to pay the bribes they “owe” to their bosses).

In order to create an incentive for our hypothetical bad driver to pay the fine, there has to be well-known and well-understood repercussions for not paying it, and the driver needs to believe that they will face them (i.e. receiving jail time for failure to pay). There also has to be a process in place for collecting fines that is easy enough that the driver will do it (i.e. just mailing it in rather than having to go to the police station in person to pay the fine).

In order to contest a ticket (if you felt that you were not breaking the law), you have to know your rights as a citizen. We receive a lot of civic education in the US, which equips us with a pretty good grip on our rights and responsibilities as citizens. This information can be shared formally (in school) or more informally (through the media, religious organizations, the government and other members of the community). Civic education is an important part of rule of law because it creates a culture of lawfulness, in which citizens and government have entered into a pact where they will both follow the laws and society will function within these confines. Our government operates in line with a clear set of rules and regulations, and these are clearly communicated to citizens. There are so many resources (most are now on the internet) in the US for learning about our laws, legal codes, regulations, etc. Really, you have no excuse for being in the dark about your civic duties.

But let’s go back to our example for a moment. In order to contest the ticket, the driver not only needs to know their rights, but there also has to be a process in place for contesting tickets. This means there has to be a functioning judicial system, including a courthouse, a judge, lawyers, police officers, stenographers, guards, and so on. Not to mention that the people working in the judicial system should be well-trained (i.e. not be able to buy their diplomas online) and not corrupt. A functioning judicial system is also necessary if the driver doesn’t pay their fine and has to be taken to jail.

Bottom line: even though stopping at a red light seems like a pretty common sense thing to most drivers, it’s also a great example of how complex rule of law is and how important it is to the smooth functioning of a country. Pretty awesome isn’t it?

We are lucky to have such good rule of law in the US. There is still crime and murder in the US, but a well-functioning judicial system makes it less enticing to commit a crime. In Guatemala, for example, there is 98 percent impunity for murder, which means that only 2 percent of the people who commit murders go to jail. Unsurprisingly, Guatemala has one of the highest murder rates in the world.

Speaking of which: a high impunity rate is one reason why extrajudicial killings are synonymous with “justice” in some developing countries. Extrajudicial killing is when someone is murdered for a crime that they committed (or are assumed to have committed), or in retaliation against a crime that someone else committed. A well-functioning judicial system protects innocent people too. In some developing countries, women are raped as a form of justice for a crime their brothers committed, or sons are murdered for a crime their fathers committed. In other words: never take rule of law for granted. It could save your bacon one day.

My friend David Rubino talks about his own work on rule of law with the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA-ROLI). He’s currently its Country Director for Tajikistan, but his first encounter with the organization was when he went to volunteer for ABA-ROLI in Azerbaijan. He recalls: “When I arrived in Azerbaijan, the Women’s Bar Association (WBA) consisted of eight female lawyers with no real plan for their organization. They were clear on their goals, but not how to get there. Part of the problem was a cultural one: there were two competing “camps” in the WBA, the older generation and the younger generation. Due to their culture’s unique hierarchical dynamics, these groups rarely saw eye-to-eye. I started by identifying the common ground, racking up some quick wins, and in doing so building the trust we needed to tackle more divisive issues. And sure enough, once we did, we started growing. Soon there were twenty members. Then fifty. Then one hundred.

“I trained them in grant writing, budgeting and the art of networking. Their ranks continued to grow. When the numbers hit three hundred, it was time for me to call in some backup. Help arrived in the form of a seventy-three year-old attorney named Barbara from the US. Barbara’s progressive mindset won over the younger members, while her age and seniority earned her respect from the old guard.

“In addition to being a professional network, the WBA wanted to act as the legal guardians of women’s rights in Azerbaijan. They secured grant funding to take on issues such as such as domestic violence, early marriage, human trafficking and workplace discrimination. I loved meeting the women the WBA had helped, and hearing their stories. I met a number of domestic violence victims served by the organization, including a young woman who the WBA helped to extract from a forced marriage. By then, the WBA was a 400-strong force for justice in the country. And, by helping to empower them, I felt as if their victories were mine.

“The program grew so successful that received a visit from then-Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and US Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues, Melanne Verveer, during their scheduled trip to Azerbaijan. During the meeting, I sat proudly as the WBA members highlighted their successes and detailed the many challenges they had overcome. It was an honor that they fully deserved, and a moment that I will not soon forget.”

5 Reasons to Pursue a Career in International Relations

Global: An Extraordinary Guide for Ordinary Heroes

As someone who has spent their career focused on global affairs, of course, I think it’s the coolest gig you could have. But, I realize that not everyone might feel the same way. So here are five reasons to pursue a career in global affairs to pique your interest. And, of course, there are many and more reasons, so drop me a line if you want to discuss further.

1. You get to travel, explore new countries, cultures, languages, food, etc

You don’t have to live abroad to have a career in global affairs, but for many people, that is one of the big draws. Or, for those based in the States, many people like the opportunity to travel for work. A decade ago, when I was based in DC at the State Department’s Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization, my job was to work on conflict prevention in Sub-Saharan Africa. So depending on where we had activities or where we were asked to focus, I would spend a few weeks or months learning about a new country and then get to travel there for a few weeks to work on a specific issue. And I loved it – getting to dig in and learn about the history, complexity, richness of a country and then go see it first hand. Even more, I love living and working in foreign countries. It’s awesome to get to travel somewhere for a few weeks, but living somewhere for a few years gives you the opportunity to more fully understand the intricacies and the quirks of that country. Like, nearly twenty years ago when I lived in Japan during college, I learned that a lot of people ate cheese sandwiches with mayonnaise for breakfast – why mayonnaise? Because one of the members of a famous Japanese boy band, SMAP, loved mayonnaise – love it. Whether you experience a country for a few days, weeks or years, getting to be exposed to the vast array of the realities each country holds is always so exciting.

2. You not only learn about different countries, you learn about yourself

A career in global affairs can provide insight into yourself because, as you’re exposed to different countries, cultures, problems, and opportunities, your worldview is expanded. Being regularly put in situations outside of your comfort zone, navigating new cultures, and grappling with new challenges flexes your resiliency muscle, which means that you’re able to better understand your abilities, but also how to be flexible when your abilities are stretched. Not to mention that, as your perspective grows, so too does your understanding of the complexities of how the world works and how interconnected we all are. It can make you more empathetic because it makes you realize that, at the end of the day, we’re all human and we’re all doing our best. Even though we may speak different languages or eat different food, all most people want is to be able to provide for themselves and their families. To live in safety and have access to food, clean water, education, and healthcare. This doesn’t seem like too much to ask for, but it’s something that billions of people in the world do not have.

3. It’s empowering to know that you’re doing your part to help make the world a better place

Maybe you won’t alleviate poverty and suffering tomorrow, but by spending your career doing your small part, you are part of the solution. Having a career in global affairs means you’re very tapped into what’s going on in the world – including immense amounts of human suffering, which can be really hard to deal with. And, at the same time, that suffering is occurring whether you’re aware of it or not. By working on pressing global issues – whether it’s trafficking in persons, girls’ education, peace-building, building environmental resiliency, food security, multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, and on and on – by doing your small part, at least you’re doing something about it. Every little bit helps and it’s important to do what you can.

4. You don’t have to be super senior or already have global experience to get started

You can make an impact and have a career in global affairs with your own special, unique set of skills. You don’t have to be a diplomat already or to have even done Peace Corps, but you do have to be ready to align your skills with your dream job – or at least a job that will get you on the right path. Are you a graphic designer? Great, you can serve as a communications expert for a non-governmental organization (NGO). Or are you an accountant? Super – any institution (the State Department, an NGO, the United Nations) needs financial experts. Do you have no professional experience, but you’re an excellent writer? Perfect – start interning to get professional experience and work your way up to become a grant writer, strategist, or advocacy advisor. There’s a million and one ways to fit your passion and ability into a career in global affairs. Figure out what you want to do and how your current skills can help you get there. Just as discussed in The Making of a Global Citizen.

5. You’re constantly learning

One of my favorite things about my career in global affairs is that I am constantly learning. On any given day, I get exposed to so much interesting information that my brain is always stimulated – sometimes over stimulated! I regularly read the news about current global events, which often times end up impacting my job. I am also regularly learning about new technical areas. I got my master’s in International Peace and Conflict Resolution and joined USAID as a Crisis, Stabilization, and Governance Officer, but in the last few years, I’ve managed teams that have worked on education, health, child welfare reform, civil society, media, agriculture, tourism, energy, water basin management, local governance, de-mining, civil aviation, youth empowerment, and more. I’m not an expert in any of these fields, but I sure do know a lot more about them than I did before! You also get to learn new strategies, approaches to communication, management skills, writing, public speaking, what different ministries do, or how different countries approach governance. It’s never a boring day in global affairs!

Conclusion: I hope you are just as intrigued as I am when I first learned how I could make a difference. My career in Global affairs has been one of the most rewarding “jobs” anyone could ever hope for. As you see now, you too can enjoy the benefits that a career in Global Affairs Brings. If you would like to read more information on becoming a Ordinary Hero, check out my book, Global. 

Do you have questions about beginning your career in Global Affairs, Or Maybe You Have Already Begun and Just Want To Share Your Story. Comment Below and I Will Respond To You As Soon as I Can. Want a more one on one chat, contact me. 

The post 5 Reasons to Pursue a Career in International Relations appeared first on Global: An Extraordinary Guide for Ordinary Heroes.

Five Reasons to Pursue a Career in Global Affairs

As someone who has spent their career focused on global affairs, of course, I think it’s the coolest gig you could have. But, I realize that not everyone might feel the same way. So here are five reasons to pursue a career in global affairs to pique your interest. And, of course, there are many and more reasons, so drop me a line if you want to discuss further.

You get to travel, explore new countries, cultures, languages, food, etc

You don’t have to live abroad to have a career in global affairs, but for many people, that is one of the big draws. Or, for those based in the States, many people like the opportunity to travel for work. A decade ago, when I was based in DC at the State Department’s Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization, my job was to work on conflict prevention in Sub-Saharan Africa. So depending on where we had activities or where we were asked to focus, I would spend a few weeks or months learning about a new country and then get to travel there for a few weeks to work on a specific issue. And I loved it – getting to dig in and learn about the history, complexity, richness of a country and then go see it first hand. Even more, I love living and working in foreign countries. It’s awesome to get to travel somewhere for a few weeks, but living somewhere for a few years gives you the opportunity to more fully understand the intricacies and the quirks of that country. Like, nearly twenty years ago when I lived in Japan during college, I learned that a lot of people ate cheese sandwiches with mayonnaise for breakfast – why mayonnaise? Because one of the members of a famous Japanese boy band, SMAP, loved mayonnaise – love it. Whether you experience a country for a few days, weeks or years, getting to be exposed to the vast array of the realities each country holds is always so exciting.

You not only learn about different countries, you learn about yourself

A career in global affairs can provide insight into yourself because, as you’re exposed to different countries, cultures, problems, and opportunities, your worldview is expanded. Being regularly put in situations outside of your comfort zone, navigating new cultures, and grappling with new challenges flexes your resiliency muscle, which means that you’re able to better understand your abilities, but also how to be flexible when your abilities are stretched. Not to mention that, as your perspective grows, so too does your understanding of the complexities of how the world works and how interconnected we all are. It can make you more empathetic because it makes you realize that, at the end of the day, we’re all human and we’re all doing our best. Even though we may speak different languages or eat different food, all most people want is to be able to provide for themselves and their families. To live in safety and have access to food, clean water, education, and healthcare. This doesn’t seem like too much to ask for, but it’s something that billions of people in the world do not have.

It’s empowering to know that you’re doing your part to help make the world a better place

Maybe you won’t alleviate poverty and suffering tomorrow, but by spending your career doing your small part, you are part of the solution. Having a career in global affairs means you’re very tapped into what’s going on in the world – including immense amounts of human suffering, which can be really hard to deal with. And, at the same time, that suffering is occurring whether you’re aware of it or not. By working on pressing global issues – whether it’s trafficking in persons, girls’ education, peace-building, building environmental resiliency, food security, multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, and on and on – by doing your small part, at least you’re doing something about it. Every little bit helps and it’s important to do what you can.

You don’t have to be super senior or already have global experience to get started

You can make an impact and have a career in global affairs with your own special, unique set of skills. You don’t have to be a diplomat already or to have even done Peace Corps, but you do have to be ready to align your skills with your dream job – or at least a job that will get you on the right path. Are you a graphic designer? Great, you can serve as a communications expert for a non-governmental organization (NGO). Or are you an accountant? Super – any institution (the State Department, an NGO, the United Nations) needs financial experts. Do you have no professional experience, but you’re an excellent writer? Perfect – start interning to get professional experience and work your way up to become a grant writer, strategist, or advocacy advisor. There’s a million and one ways to fit your passion and ability into a career in global affairs. Figure out what you want to do and how your current skills can help you get there.

You’re constantly learning

One of my favorite things about my career in global affairs is that I am constantly learning. On any given day, I get exposed to so much interesting information that my brain is always stimulated – sometimes over stimulated! I regularly read the news about current global events, which often times end up impacting my job. I am also regularly learning about new technical areas. I got my master’s in International Peace and Conflict Resolution and joined USAID as a Crisis, Stabilization, and Governance Officer, but in the last few years, I’ve managed teams that have worked on education, health, child welfare reform, civil society, media, agriculture, tourism, energy, water basin management, local governance, de-mining, civil aviation, youth empowerment, and more. I’m not an expert in any of these fields, but I sure do know a lot more about them than I did before! You also get to learn new strategies, approaches to communication, management skills, writing, public speaking, what different ministries do, or how different countries approach governance. It’s never a boring day in global affairs!

The Making of a Global Citizen: How It Began With a 6th Grade Research Paper

Global: An Extraordinary Guide for Ordinary Heroes

Global Affairs and How It All Begun 

My career in global affairs started in 6th grade when I did a report about the depletion of the Amazon rain forest. It opened up my eyes to the world around me and led me to care about something bigger than myself. This expanded worldview made it so I was interested in what I could do to make the world a better place. When I met Robert Muller, a United Nations peace advocate, when I was in high school and learned about the field of peace and conflict resolution it connected a dot for me – that humans couldn’t care about protecting the environment if they couldn’t protect themselves. This exposure led me to study international affairs and peace and conflict resolution in college.

Real World Experiences 

Understanding that I’d need more than my bachelor’s degree to get a job after college, I decided to pursue an internship to get real world experience. I was lucky enough to go to college where Mercy Corps, an awesome humanitarian development NGO, is headquartered – my hometown, Portland, Oregon. After interning with Mercy Corps, the third dot was connected – people couldn’t protect the environment if they couldn’t protect themselves not only from conflict, but also from deprivation and poverty. That was the final piece of the puzzle for me – in order to help make the world a better place, you need to help people have their basic needs met, including living in safety, and, at that point, they can care about the environment.

Authored Global: An Extraordinary Guide For Ordinary Heroes 

And that’s why I wrote Global: An Extraordinary Guide for Ordinary Heroes – I want to help other people have their “ah hah” moment or, if you’ve already had it, I want to help you put your passion into action. The world is such a big, fascinating place and I want to help people learn how they can work toward making it a better place. Change really does start with the individual and it really does start as soon as that is where your attention is directed.

World Traveler

I am fortunate to have spent the past 20 years traveling around the world working on issues that I’m passionate about and that, hopefully, help make individual’s lives better. We might not end all global poverty and suffering tomorrow, but that does not mean we shouldn’t try – or that we shouldn’t try to create positive change in individual’s lives. There’s a million and one ways to create positive change and now’s the time to start doing so. I further discuss this and the Rule of Law in another blog post.

The post The Making of a Global Citizen: How It Began With a 6th Grade Research Paper appeared first on Global: An Extraordinary Guide for Ordinary Heroes.

The Making of a Global Citizen: How It Began With a Sixth Grade Research Paper

Global: An Extraordinary Guide for Ordinary Heroes

Global Affairs and How It All Begun 

My career in global affairs started in 6th grade when I did a report about the depletion of the Amazon rain forest. It opened up my eyes to the world around me and led me to care about something bigger than myself. This expanded worldview made it so I was interested in what I could do to make the world a better place. When I met Robert Muller, a United Nations peace advocate, when I was in high school and learned about the field of peace and conflict resolution it connected a dot for me – that humans couldn’t care about protecting the environment if they couldn’t protect themselves. This exposure led me to study international affairs and peace and conflict resolution in college.

Real World Experiences 

Understanding that I’d need more than my bachelor’s degree to get a job after college, I decided to pursue an internship to get real world experience. I was lucky enough to go to college where Mercy Corps, an awesome humanitarian development NGO, is headquartered – my hometown, Portland, Oregon. After interning with Mercy Corps, the third dot was connected – people couldn’t protect the environment if they couldn’t protect themselves not only from conflict, but also from deprivation and poverty. That was the final piece of the puzzle for me – in order to help make the world a better place, you need to help people have their basic needs met, including living in safety, and, at that point, they can care about the environment.

Authored Global: An Extraordinary Guide For Ordinary Heroes 

And that’s why I wrote Global: An Extraordinary Guide for Ordinary Heroes – I want to help other people have their “ah hah” moment or, if you’ve already had it, I want to help you put your passion into action. The world is such a big, fascinating place and I want to help people learn how they can work toward making it a better place. Change really does start with the individual and it really does start as soon as that is where your attention is directed.

World Traveler

I am fortunate to have spent the past 20 years traveling around the world working on issues that I’m passionate about and that, hopefully, help make individual’s lives better. We might not end all global poverty and suffering tomorrow, but that does not mean we shouldn’t try – or that we shouldn’t try to create positive change in individual’s lives. There’s a million and one ways to create positive change and now’s the time to start doing so. I further discuss this and the Rule of Law in another blog post.

The post The Making of a Global Citizen: How It Began With a Sixth Grade Research Paper appeared first on Global: An Extraordinary Guide for Ordinary Heroes.

The Making of a Global Citizen

My career in global affairs started in 6th grade when I did a report about the depletion of the Amazon rain forest. It opened up my eyes to the world around me and led me to care about something bigger than myself. This expanded worldview made it so I was interested in what I could do to make the world a better place. When I met Robert Muller, a United Nations peace advocate, when I was in high school and learned about the field of peace and conflict resolution it connected a dot for me – that humans couldn’t care about protecting the environment if they couldn’t protect themselves. This exposure led me to study international affairs and peace and conflict resolution in college.

Understanding that I’d need more than my bachelor’s degree to get a job after college, a decided to pursue an internship to get real world experience. I was lucky enough to go to college where Mercy Corps, an awesome humanitarian development NGO, is headquartered – my hometown, Portland, Oregon. After interning with Mercy Corps, the third dot was connected – people couldn’t protect the environment if they couldn’t protect themselves not only from conflict, but also from deprivation and poverty. That was the final piece of the puzzle for me – in order to help make the world a better place, you need to help people have their basic needs met, including living in safety, and, at that point, they can care about the environment.

And that’s why I wrote Global: An Extraordinary Guide for Ordinary Heroes – I want to help other people have their “ah hah” moment or, if you’ve already had it, I want to help you put your passion into action. The world is such a big, fascinating place and I want to help people learn how they can work toward making it a better place. Change really does start with the individual and it really does start as soon as that is where your attention is directed.

I am fortunate to have spent the past 20 years traveling around the world working on issues that I’m passionate about and that, hopefully, help make individual’s lives better. We might not end all global poverty and suffering tomorrow, but that does not mean we shouldn’t try – or that we shouldn’t try to create positive change in individual’s lives. There’s a million and one ways to create positive change and now’s the time to start doing so.