Growing up in isolation from one another, young Serbs and Albanians born in Kosovo and Serbia have little opportunity, and often little desire, to interact with each other and with peers from other ethnic communities. Factors that brought their parents together when the countries were part of Yugoslavia – common language, economic opportunities and a lack of borders – no longer exist and have been replaced with misperceptions, fear, and disrespect.

Nicholas A. Rey, who fled Poland with his family as a child after the outbreak of World War II and returned as the United States ambassador during the Clinton administration, died on Jan. 14 in Washington, D.C. Rey was a member of the National Democratic Institute’s board of directors.

“Nick brought his considerable knowledge and experience to the Institute,” said NDI president Kenneth Wollack. “And we benefitted measurably from his commitment to the organization and its mission.”

The tribal violence that often erupts in remote areas of Yemen undermines order and government institutions and provides a haven for terrorist activity, poverty and illiteracy. These areas, vast and almost inaccessible, and the commonplace killings and hopelessness among populations stuck in a vortex of tribal conflict were characterized in a 2005 Pulitzer Prize winning series in The Washington Post.

Women activists from seven countries in the Middle East and North Africa gathered for the Young Women Leaders Academy at Education City in Doha, Qatar, in July 2008 to help gain the intellectual tools, comparative knowledge, and practical skills to become leaders in their communities.

A “Youth for Change” camp hosted by NDI brought together young people from across Iraq in July to share ideas about problems affecting youth in their regions, to identify their view of Iraq’s top two issues of national concern and to strategize about solutions.

Eighty-three activists ranging in age from 18 to 25 attended the camp, part of NDI’s Youth Empowerment Program (YEP). It marked the first time that the young people in the program—from different regions, ethnic backgrounds and religious affiliations—had been able to interact in person and share ideas.