Author Archives: DemDigest

‘Malign Finance’ – the kleptocratic threat to democracy

     

Prospects for a democratic transition in Venezuela faltered with the failure of “some sort of arrangement where the U.S. would lift sanctions on the country’s kleptocratic government in exchange for… Read more »

The China Model’s problem: successes becoming liabilities

     

Recent technological, diplomatic, investment and infrastructure successes have made China attractive to smaller countries not only as an economic partner but as an ideological standard-bearer, notes Elizabeth C. Economy, C.V…. Read more »

Is Tunisia really democratizing? Progress + resistance = uncertain outlook

     

While Tunisia’s eighth anniversary celebrations of the end of the Ben Ali dictatorship were marred by social protests, opinions differ about the country’s state of political development as it gears… Read more »

‘No to the Fifth Term’: Algeria’s New Protest Movement

     

In recent weeks, Algeria has witnessed mass protests demanding that the ailing president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, not run for a fifth five-year term in the election scheduled for April 18. The… Read more »

Vietnam’s ‘digital dictatorship’ seeks to silence dissidents

     

The European Union (EU) must urge Vietnam to end its ongoing crackdown on peaceful dissent, repeal its repressive laws, and immediately release all political prisoners, according to human rights groups,… Read more »

Civic education can contribute to democratic renewal

     

What makes the  populist wave sweeping the Western world so disturbing is the characteristic that unites all populists: their rejection of liberal values, argues Carla Norrlof, Associate Professor of Political Science at… Read more »

‘Sea change’ in Russia, as Nemtsov’s name reverberates?

     

Most protests and demonstrations in Russia now appear to be taking place in small and mid-sized cities, sometimes spreading to larger cities and ultimately to Moscow, notes Russia-watcher Paul Goble…. Read more »

How do democracies address scope & depth of authoritarian wave?

     

Jonathan Manthorpe’s best-selling Claws of the Panda is in many ways a primer on the central challenge of our era, notes Hugh Segal, Principal of Massey College, distinguished fellow at… Read more »

Open society and democratic renewal – mission impossible?

     

The three pillars of freedom, protection and progress form the basis of democratic renewal, according to French President Emmanuel Macron. He proposes the establishment of a European Agency for the Protection of… Read more »

Algeria’s protests: the ‘whole political system needs to be changed’

     

Algerians took to the streets on Tuesday with renewed calls for 82-year-old President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to step down and not seek any more time in office when the country votes… Read more »