Request for Information on Democracy Projects in the Middle East

To Whom It May Concern:

This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records:

All correspondence, reports, and contracts relating to democracy projects in the Middle East, particularly in Egypt and Morocco. I am particularly interested in information from 1990-2011 from the Office of Democracy and Governance, the Global Bureau and the Bureau for Europe and the New Independent States (USAID's democracy centers in the late 1980s and early 1990s.)

I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as I believe this request is in the public interest. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.

In the event that fees cannot be waived, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Erin Snider, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Researcher in Political Economy
Princeton University

Dear Mr. Snider, Ph.D.:
Thank you for your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, dated February 11,2013.  You requested "all correspondence, reports, and contracts relating to democracy project in the Middle East, particularly in Egypt and Morocco."  You also indicated that you were interested in the time frame from 1990 through 2011.
Your request has been assigned tracking number F-00149-13.  Please use this number when corresponding with our office.
You have been placed in the "news media" fee category.  As such, you will not be charged for search and review; however, you will be charged for duplication (first 100 pages free and $0.20 per page thereafter).
In your letter you requested a fee waiver, we ask that you address the following as applicable.  You must be specific in addressing the Agency's fee waiver criteria for each request you submit,  regardless of whether you may have been granted a fee waiver previously.
(a) Explain how the records you are requesting will be meaningfully informative with respect to the
Agency's operations and activities.
(b) Explain how disclosure of the records will contribute to the understanding of the public at large
or a reasonably broad audience as opposed to only enhancing your knowledge.
(c) Explain how release of the requested records will contribute significantly to public
understanding.  For example, is the information being disclosed new, does the information
confirm or clarify data released previously, and is the information publicly available?  Explain
how disclosure will increase the level of public understanding that existed prior to disclosure.
(d) Explain whether you have a commercial interest that would be furthered by disclosure and if
so, whether the public interest in disclosure would be greater than any commercial interest
you or your organization would have in the documents.
To allow us to consider your fee waiver request, please provide the above information to us within ten (10) days from the date of this email.
You also did not indicate a maximum amount that you are willing to pay for the processing of your request; please submit the amount you are willing to pay within ten (10) days from the date of this email.
Your request has been placed on hold pending your response.  If we do not receive your responses within the specified time frame, we will consider your non-response a withdrawal of your request.  Accordingly, your request will be closed and no further action will be taken on it.
Sincerely,
Alecia S. Sillah
Team Lead, Government Information Specialist
Bureau for Management
Office of Management Services
Information and Records Division

Re: USAID FOIA Request No. F-00149-13
Dear Ms. Snider:

Thank you for your letter dated February 11, 2013, requesting information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).  The tracking number for your request is F-00149-13.  Please use this number when corresponding with our office.
The Government Information Specialist assigned to your request is Ms. Pamela Smith.  Ms. Smith will request the document(s) from the appropriate office(s) for review. She will contact you when the review is completed.
If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Smith on (202) 712-4476 or by email at psmith@usaid.gov
Sincerely,

Alecia S. Sillah Team Lead, Government Information Specialist
Bureau for Management
Office of Management Services
Information and Records Division

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Feb. 11, 2013. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.

Thank you for your help.

Hello,

This is with regard to case number F-00149-13.

Thank you.

Dear Dr. Snider:
This is the final response to your February 11, 2013, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).  Specifically, you requested any and all correspondence, reports, and contracts relating to democracy projects in the ME, particularly in Egypt and Morocco covering 1990-2011.
By letter dated April 11, 2013, USAID requested additional information from you to assist this office with processing your request.  You were advised that if we did not receive a response from you within 10 days of the letter, your request would be administratively closed.
To date, we have not received a response from you.  We construe the non-response to be a withdrawal of your request.  Accordingly, your request has been administratively closed and no further action will be taken on it.  No fees have been assessed. Thank you for your interest in USAID.
Sincerely,
//s// Pamela A Smith Government Information Specialist
Bureau for Management
Office of Management Services
Information and Records Division

Dear Ms. Smith,

I'm writing to follow up on your letter dated April 11, 2013 to my request F-00149-13 asking to define more clearly the parameters of my request.

I'm hoping the following will provide further clarification. I am interested in information on all projects funded and contracts awarded under the sector 'Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance' from 1990-2011 in the Middle East and in particular for Egypt and Morocco and related correspondence between USAID in Washington and its Missions in Rabat and Morocco. You asked for project information numbers and I wish I could provide to clarify--I have no way of knowing what these might be as this information is not available anywhere and is part of the reason for my inquiry.

I realize that USAID has changed bureau names over time and may have classified the projects funded and contracts under other sectors but I'm particularly interested in those that are assigned in some way to the category of 'Democracy' minimally.

These information I would assume would be linked to the former Office of Democracy and Governance, the Global Bureau and the Bureau for Europe and the New Independent States (USAID's democracy centers in the late 1980s and early 1990s and the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance.

I hope this is helpful, but would be glad to call if further clarification is needed.

Many thanks again for your kind assistance.

Best regards,

Erin Snider

Hello,

Your previous letter was never received by this office. Please see below correspondence for clarification as requested.

Thank you.

Thank you for this. The letter indicates that because my letter didn't reach your office within 10 days, the request ( F-00149-13 ) was withdrawn. I was traveling, unfortunately, and missed the letter.

I am still of course highly interested in the inquiry and would appreciate advice about how to resume/proceed.

Shall I refile my inquiry from the beginning and presumably be assigned a new file number?

Many thanks for your assistance.

Best regards,
Erin Snider, Ph.D.
Princeton University

Hello,

There was a considerable amount of confusion because USAID was not responding to the appropriate inbox or MuckRock tracking number for each one of Dr. Snider's requests. Just as USAID has its tracking system, MuckRock has its own -- each request generates a unique alphanumeric email address, each tied to Dr. Snider's account on the MuckRock website. USAID has been responding to one inbox for all of Dr. Snider's requests, which made it impossible for her to respond within the required time for each.

Please respond to this inbox with respect to F-00149-13. Do not hesitate to get in contact with MuckRock, and we look forward to working with USAID's FOIA office in the future.

Thank you,

Shawn Musgrave
MuckRock