The ongoing democratic experiment: Reason for hope
Recent trends – not last democratic backsliding and autocratic resurgence – are enough to make one think that David Stasavage’s new book should have been about the rise and subsequent… Read more »
Author Archives: DemDigest
How Covid-19 may ’embed’ the new authoritarianism
The Covid-19 pandemic has been talked of as a historical rupture, igniting system change. Yet, the nature of the new world being born is still far from certain, and this… Read more »
Serbia ‘becoming a one-party system’?
Serbia’s president declared a landslide victory Sunday for his right-wing party in a parliamentary vote held amid concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus and a boycott of much… Read more »
Don’t underestimate resilience of the smart new despotisms
The new despotism defies the standard distinction between democracy and authoritarianism, argues John Keane (above), Professor of Politics at the University of Sydney and WZB (Berlin). The “whip-smart resilience” of… Read more »
Father of Democracy fears ‘the end of Hong Kong as we know it’
The man nicknamed Hong Kong’s “Father of Democracy” said Friday that Beijing is trying to take control of the semi-autonomous city with an impending national security law, but added that… Read more »
Time to confront China’s global influence: Post-COVID prospects for Beijing’s sharp power
The news on Friday morning that Australia is currently being hit by a major cyber attack targeting all levels of government, political parties and businesses has focussed attention on national… Read more »
Reframe ‘information warfare’ to capitalize on democracies’ advantage
Differing views between democracies and autocracies on the role of information in society create an asymmetric information domain. The current contest for this information space—often framed as “information warfare”—plays to… Read more »
How to counter ‘troubling trends’ of democratic erosion?
Hungary’s restrictions on the financing of civil-society organizations are unlawful, the European Union’s highest court ruled on Thursday, in a resounding rebuke to Prime Minister Viktor Orban over measures that… Read more »
Uighur Human Rights Policy Act addresses ‘stain of the century’
The new Uighur Human Rights Policy Act, which passed the Senate and House unanimously, drew a furious response from Beijing on Thursday during a delicate moment when Secretary of State… Read more »
How democracy dies: Media first?
Journalists and independent media are the canary in the coal mine when it comes to identifying the early signs of democratic regression, observers suggest. This is how democracy dies in… Read more »