Author Archives: DemDigest

‘Silent Invasion’: Australia shows how to combat China’s sharp power

     

Last December, while introducing legislation to outlaw foreign interference in Australian politics, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told the Australian Parliament that the scale of the threat to Australian democracy and sovereignty from… Read more »

Decaying democracy? Nothing inevitable about liberal world order

     

The liberal world order is neither inherently universal, nor is it the inevitable path of societies across the globe, argues Stratfor’s senior analyst, Rodger Baker: Like the ideals of democracy… Read more »

Cuba’s new constitution preserves Communist monopoly on power

     

Lawmakers in Cuba have endorsed a draft of a new constitution for the communist island nation that could, among other things, allow for the legalization of same-sex marriage, CNN reports. But… Read more »

‘Cross-domain coercion’: Russia’s Competitive Strategy

     

Since at least 2005, Russia’s leadership has believed itself to be at war with the West. This war is not primarily one of kinetic combat though recent moves suggest that… Read more »

What is the Root Cause of Rising Illiberalism?

     

“Explaining Eastern Europe”is the principal theme of the July issue of the Journal of Democracy, which features a cluster of articles on “Explaining Eastern Europe.” The cluster includes four authors affiliated… Read more »

Market-Leninism: Cuba’s ‘cosmetic’ reforms aim to forge China Model?

     

Are Cuba’s ruling Communist Party’s proposed constitutional revisions “a way to move the island into the 21st century” or cosmetic changes designed to maintain single-party rule akin to the China… Read more »

Facing up to the difference between election meddling and advancing democracy

     

“Donald Trump’s refusal in Helsinki to credit his intelligence agencies’ findings about Russian electoral interference has unleashed a nationalist fury in Washington unseen since September 11,” Peter Beinart writes for… Read more »

Populist International: Europe-wide super-group sparks alarm

     

Although it is commonly assumed that democratic backsliding starts with electoral problems, other political elements—such as the infringement of individual rights and the freedom of expression—are at the core of… Read more »

Russia lacks ability to roll back post-1990 democratic revolution

     

The West is in crisis because of European weakness, not Russian strength, says analyst Walter Russell Mead. Europe’s weakness has provided Vladimir Putin with opportunities to promote Russian power by… Read more »