Xenia Dormandy, director of the Belfer Center’s Project on India and the Subcontinent, was an election monitor in Pakistan during February’s parliamentary elections. Here she offers analysis of the significance of the Pakistan elections.

Jackie Northam of NPR interviews Xenia Dormandy, Director of the Project on India and the Subcontinent, regarding the new Pakistani government's negotiations with militants tied to al Qaeda.

Thus far this year we’ve seen elections in Pakistan, Bhutan, and Nepal. Elections have been promised in Bangladesh and the Maldives later this year, and scheduled in India and Afghanistan for next year. Yet, barring India, we rarely think of these nations as democracies. Could this then be the next wave?

In recent years, India's military, diplomatic and economic energies have expanded far beyond Nehru's Non-Aligned position. But what does that mean for India, its region, and the United States?

While India and the United States have embarked on a campaign to strengthen their bilateral relations, as symbolized by the proposed US-India civilian nuclear deal, it appears as though New Delhi has similarly begun to pursue a more robust relationship with another major power: Iran. The two states have recently expanded cooperation in a number of key areas, including counterterrorism, regional stability, and energy security. What are the implications of this "New Delhi-Tehran Axis" for the United States, and how should Washington respond to growing ties between India and Iran?

Xenia Dormandy reflects on her experience monitoring the February 18 parliamentary elections in Pakistan.

Xenia Dormandy, Director of the Project on India and the Subcontinent, gave a Shorenstein lecture on the Pakistan parliamentary elections at the National Press Club on February 21, 2008.

Xenia Dormandy draws from her experience monitoring yesterday's elections to assess their legitimacy and what the results could mean for Pakistan's future.

Xenia Dormandy writes from Pakistan that elections "appear to have been in large part peaceful, notwithstanding some being delayed due to security threats and some bombings at polling stations.  While the results are still being counted and a formal tally will not be out for some while, informally, we are likely to know the results even this evening."

Pakistan's election will take place on Monday, and the army has been activated to ensure security: this security, however, is lacking. Parts of the FATA are restricted, so it's not clear how - or whether - polling will take place in some towns. Even within Pakistan, the election campaign weeks have been made most notable, not by the speeches of the candidates, but by the suicide bombings and those killed at events.