At a recent NDI forum, central players in the Northern Ireland and South Africa peace negotiations talked about their participation in 2007 and 2008 Helsinki talks on Iraq that resulted in an agreement signed by 37 leaders representing all political factions in the country. Drawing parallels between the conflicts in Iraq and their own countries, the speakers reflected on how their experiences allowed them to engage the Iraqis on constructive frameworks for moving toward peace.

iKNOW Politics’ third E-discussion, focusing on financing women in politics, will run until October 29. Through this virtual conversation, women and their supporters can share strategies, experiences and examples on how to overcome the barriers that women face when trying to finance bids for elective office as well as take advantage of www.iknowpolitics.org, the premier online network for women in politics.

Matt Dippell is deputy director of the Latin America and Caribbean team at NDI. For more than a decade, he has organized democracy strengthening programs on civil-military relations, political parties, civic organizing and elections in more than 15 countries. In addition, Mr. Dippell serves as an advisor on candidate debate programs and is NDI's liaison for projects around the world with the Commission on Presidential Debates, the independent nonprofit organization that has sponsored and produced all U.S. general election presidential debates since 1987. Before joining NDI, Mr.

Eighteen committee and subcommittee chairs from four House Democracy Assistance Commission (HDAC) partner countries - Afghanistan, East Timor, Haiti and Liberia - participated in a week-long program on the function of committees within the U.S. House of Representatives. The program was sponsored in conjunction with NDI, the International Republic Institute and the U.S. Agency for International Development.