Social media sites have been used by civil society to organize social movements, such as the spring 2011 protests in Cairo, Egypt. Photo: AP Images

"These three essential elements of a free nation -- representative government, a well-functioning market, and civil society -- work like three legs of a stool. They lift and support nations as they reach for higher standards of progress and prosperity. ...Civil society undergirds both democratic governance and broad-based prosperity."

--Secretary Clinton

Religious Freedom: The Flushing Remonstrance

U.S. postal stamp to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the signing of the Flushing Remonstrance and religious freedom in America.

The “Flushing Remonstrance” was a petition of inhabitants of Flushing, Long Island, to Pieter Stuyvesant, Director General of New Netherland, dated December 27, 1657.

It is an iconic record of early Dutch colonial government that proclaimed the necessity of religious freedom of conscience and toleration.

The recorded copy of the Flushing Remonstrance has long been recognized as the earliest political assertion of freedom of conscience and religion in New York.

See related VOA video: "Flushing, New York, is Proud of Its Religious Diversity"

Ingredients of a Resilient Democracy

Ukrainians cheer for the opposition leader at a 2004 Kiev rally during the “orange revolution.” AP Photo

Elections in a healthy democracy hold governments accountable to the governed and facilitate peaceful transfers of power.

Democratic elections require more than the casting and counting of ballots. In a healthy democracy, elections hold governments accountable to the governed.

More on democracy...

Photo Gallery

President Obama with volunteers for community service project (AP Image)

Civil society “is the conscience of our communities,” President Obama has said. Human progress, he said, has been shaped by individuals who can freely join forces and by nongovernmental organizations. But what is civil society, exactly? Why is it important? And what does it need to flourish?

Go to the Photo Gallery....