How to aid Armenia’s ‘democratic velvet revolution’
Armenia is a case study of rising resistance to autocratic rule, says the 2019 World Report from Human Rights Watch. Authoritarianism has been met with a resurgence of “individual… Read more »
Transatlantic democracies in rift over strategy to counter Iran’s ‘malign activities’
The Iran-Saudi rivalry, which, since 2011, has dominated the Middle East and pervaded its wars, can be interpreted in geopolitical and sectarian terms, notes Katerina Dalacoura, associate professor of international… Read more »
African democracy in retreat: autocratic threat growing
African democracy is in for a bumpy 2019, with the continent’s political trajectory moving in the wrong direction, according to analysts Nic Cheeseman and Jeffrey Smith. In Tanzania, President John Magufuli has clamped down on… Read more »
‘Rudderless West’ drifting to ‘civilizational self-negation’?
The West is now rudderless. To be rudderless puts you at the mercy of elements. The elemental forces of politics today are tribalism, populism, authoritarianism and the sewage pipes of… Read more »
Is democracy itself the problem?
Many liberal democracies are encountering serious problems while authoritarianism appears to be enjoying a global surge of self-confidence. As a result, not only are doubts about the value and wisdom of democracy… Read more »
From Hungary to EU: Orban exporting ‘alternative to liberal democracy’
Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, is often accused of promoting a form of ‘illiberal democracy’, where governance is rooted in the popular support of a majority of the country’s citizens,… Read more »
Transparency key to Nigeria’s ‘critical test of democracy’
The U.S. says Nigeria’s upcoming national elections will be “a critical test of democracy” and expresses concern at reports of intimidation and partisanship. The poll looks likely to be a close race between incumbent President… Read more »
Middle East braced for ‘future without stability or freedom’?
Unless something changes, the Middle East should brace for the worst of both worlds: a future without stability or freedom, the FT suggests. Public support for U.S. military action and… Read more »
Why Iran’s Islamic Republic hates Wednesdays
The compulsory hijab law is perhaps the most high-profile of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s many human and civil rights violations. Yet for Masih Alinejad (above, addressing the National Democratic Institute’s… Read more »
How to stop technology from damaging democracy
Deepfakes threaten to erode democracy in The Coming Age of Post-Truth Geopolitics, say analysts Robert Chesney and Danielle Citron. The problem is not just that deepfakes can be used to stoke… Read more »