Author Archives: DemDigest

Mao’s long shadow clouds China’s sharp power

     

In recent years, China has spent a small fortune trying to influence the world through “soft power” — relying on language, cuisine and culture, rather than the conventional hard tools of aircraft… Read more »

Populist outsiders sweep Tunisia’s elections?

     

Tunisians headed to the polls on Sunday in their second free and fair presidential election. The election was exceptionally competitive, with no candidate in a crowded field of 26 garnering… Read more »

How to Fix Democracy

     

Bertelsmann Foundation and Humanity in Action’s How to Fix Democracy is a video and podcast series exploring practical solutions to the threats facing democracies, hosted by  Andrew Keen, author of… Read more »

As new civil movements gain strength, Tunisia a testing showcase for Islam and democracy

     

Today, as new democratic movements gather strength elsewhere in North Africa and Tunisia prepares for a presidential election on Sunday, the country’s role as a showcase for democracy in the… Read more »

Disinformation: Countering malign influence of autocrats – and Big Tech?

     

The European Union may need “broader rules to make sure that the way companies collect and use data doesn’t harm the fundamental values of our society,” tech czar Margrethe Vestager,… Read more »

Rethinking backsliding: Why flawed liberals leave democracy vulnerable

     

One thing is especially disconcerting about the illiberal turn in Eastern and Central Europe. It has been the early front-runners of democratization – Hungary and Poland – where democratic backsliding… Read more »

‘Harder edge’ to China’s sharp power threatens democracies

     

China is pushing to build up cultural “soft power” to complement the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a $60 billion infrastructure program it has launched as part of the Asian… Read more »

China ‘in danger of losing its grip’ over Tibet and Xinjiang

     

China is in danger of losing its grip over Tibet and Xinjiang and needs a radical reset of its ethnic policies, experts suggest. In September last year, Shohret Hoshur, a… Read more »

Hong Kong’s ‘last-straw movement’ vs. dystopian China Dream

     

Hong Kong’s leader must “serve two masters,” Chief Executive Carrie Lam told a group of businesspeople in the city, according to a transcript is taken from an audio recording of… Read more »