election observer, n.All

Election observer (n.) sent ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠by a government is newsworthy by a self-fulfilling prophecy: he shapes opinion only because the press treats him as someone who shapes opinion.

An Election observer (n.) on ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠an official tour certifies fairness from long lines, smiling faces and no beatings in sight — superficialities entirely consistent with a staged fraud.

An Election observer (n.) sent ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠by Washington flies in by helicopter, never utters the words "murder" or "disappeared," and reads a terrorized nation's true feelings off its long lines.