Author Archives: DemDigest

IRGC takeover? Iran protests may change leadership, but not regime

     

Iran’s Supreme Leader demanded the judiciary punish those “who disrupt economic security” on Wednesday, following protests over the rial’s collapse and a tightening of U.S. sanctions pressure that has set… Read more »

Latin America’s Difficult Road to Transparency

     

The establishment of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) in 2011 ushered in a period of optimism among transparency campaigners. Launched with only eight participating governments, the Partnership has since developed… Read more »

Ethiopia’s reform moves from ‘symbolic gestures’ to ‘specific steps’?

     

On Saturday, June 23, hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians rallied in the famous Meskel Square the heart of the capital city Addis Ababa, as citizen groups and human rights activists demonstrated support… Read more »

Time to resist China – ‘fueling corruption & autocratic behavior in struggling democracies’

     

Western-style multi-party democracy is inappropriate for Asia, the Chinese state-controlled Global Times said Monday. An op-ed titled “Multi-Party System Misfit in Asian Nations” suggests that pluralist democracy is inherently divisive, and that polarization… Read more »

The Return of Populism, Latin America Style

     

After receding for the past 10 years, populism is making a comeback in Latin America. On June 17, Colombians elected a president from a right-wing populist party. On July 1,… Read more »

Lessons Learned: How West’s vulnerabilities facilitate Russian influence ops

     

Despite the evidence that Russia is trying to interfere in the U.S. midterm elections, are concerned about the administration’s alarming silence about what Moscow’s trolls and hackers are up to,… Read more »

Turkey’s election: cause for concern to every liberal democracy

     

With his victory in Sunday’s elections, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has taken his place among the world’s emerging class of strongman rulers, nailing down the sweeping powers he has insisted he… Read more »