Vladimir Putin’s military assault on the brave and free people of Ukraine is an international crime of historic proportions.  

It has been heartening to see the massive protests in countless cities and towns around the world. They demonstrate that Putin has woken up free peoples everywhere to the stakes of his brazen attack on a democratic neighbor, and democracy itself.

With all eyes on the crisis in Ukraine, the U.S. and Europe must not lose sight of their deep political and security interests in the Western Balkans, where U.S. and NATO interventions ended the violent conflicts of the 1990s. Make no mistake about it: the Kremlin aims to sever the Balkans from the West and to undermine democracy. To alter this dangerous dynamic, the U.S. must strengthen its leadership role to consolidate the Balkans’ place firmly in Europe.

NDI has supported Kosovo's democratic development for more than 20 years, and one of the core areas of assistance has been guidance for the democratic development of the Assembly of Kosovo. Listen below for NDI experts discussing NDI support and the Assembly's development over the last 20 years.

Underage girls are an underrepresented group in Libya and often have life-altering decisions made for them without their consent, including forced marriages. In the Middle East and North Africa, one in seven girls marries before her 18th birthday, which often means an end to the girls’ schooling and at-risk early childbearing. The practice of child marriage often perptuates a cycle of poverty, low education, and limited economic opportunities for women. UNICEF estimates that child marriage costs economies at least 1.7 percent of GDP.