Author Archives: DemDigest

Democracy needs new narrative for ‘cultural fight against populism’

     

Powerful global forces are eroding the foundations of the liberal order and empowering illiberal figures like Britain’s pinstriped populist Nigel Farage, The Economist observes: The most powerful of these global… Read more »

Worst assault yet on rule of law means ‘the end of Hong Kong’?

     

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Hong Kong pro-democracy leader Martin Lee on Thursday, the State Department said, as Hong Kong activists seek to derail a proposed extradition… Read more »

Adversary or enemy? China is ‘unlikely to simply collapse’

     

The Soviet Union and its satellites were an apparatus of state terror, resting on an ideology of class hatred, foisted on nations that wanted no part of either. It was… Read more »

Refreshing democracy: political innovation breeds democratic rejuvenation

     

Germany, like many places in Europe, is badly in need of democratic rejuvenation, says Verena Friederike Hasel, a contributing journalist for Die Zeit, who is currently working on a book… Read more »

Rule of law the key to renovating democracy, countering illiberal forces

     

Autocratic and illiberal forces arise when there is a vacuum of power and authority, say two leading analysts. The refugee and immigration crisis emanating from Central America, for example, is… Read more »

From democracy promotion to democracy attraction?

     

While democracy remains a popular aspiration around the world, “attraction” will prove more effective than “promotion” as a way to help democracy expand, says a leading analyst. A new study… Read more »

How democracy speaks, hears and works

     

In recent years, an array of challenges have threatened democracies. Resurgent authoritarianism, cultures of corruption, violent extremism, disinformation, rising inequality and more dominate the headlines. Scholars have warned of a… Read more »

A strategy to counter Iran’s growing power

     

Iranian regional advances have opened up a path, both literally and figuratively, for Iran to circumvent U.S. sanctions by interweaving its terror militias deep within the governments and societies of… Read more »

Democracies in ideological competition with China – not clash of civilizations

     

China’s President Xi Jinping is now invoking cultural diversity as a pretext for opposing democracy and asserting Beijing’s sharp power, reports suggest. Xi repeated his rallying cry on Wednesday as he… Read more »

Global democracy ‘at or near a modern-day high’ – but still scope for renewal

     

  Anxiety over the future of democracy, the populist threat, authoritarian alternatives, growing illiberalism, and general democratic malaise may be misplaced, new research suggests. Public support for democratic ideals remains… Read more »