Author Archives: DemDigest

Iraqi elections: crafting a democracy?

     

When Iraq’s national elections open on May 12, they will mark a shift away from the large ethnic and sectarian blocs seen on previous ballots, with candidates more attuned to… Read more »

More Continuity than Change: Cuba’s ‘cosmetic’, ‘illegitimate’ dynastic succession

     

Miguel Diaz-Canel succeeded Raul Castro as Cuba’s president on Thursday, saying that there will be “no space for those who aspire for a restoration of capitalism, the LA Times reports… Read more »

Public protests and prospects for reform in Iran

     

Over the last few months, Iran has experienced a series of street protests in rural areas and social arenas once seen as the key support base for the Islamic Republic,… Read more »

USAID’s redesign: how do democracy, human rights, and governance (DRG) fit in?

     

How do democracy, human rights, and governance (DRG) fit in to the USAID’s new redesign? Brookings analyst George Ingram asks. The DRG center would be located in the new Bureau… Read more »

The Awakening of Muslim Democracy: a New Political Islam

     

  Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is one of a crop of present-day political leaders who value the respectability an ostensibly democratic election confers but don’t want to risk actually losing the vote, the… Read more »

Fighting the Hydra: whose state organs are ‘in hock to some sort of kleptocracy’?

     

The British government refused to assist a French investigation into suspected money laundering and tax fraud by the UK telecoms giant Lycamobile – citing the fact that the company is… Read more »

Digital Resilience: Russia beating the West ‘hands down’ in information warfare

     

When it comes to information warfare, Russia is beating the West hands down, says a leading analyst. The disinformation focused on the Skripal poisoning has many similarities with the Kremlin… Read more »

Cyber-attacking the civil in civil society

     

In the face of authoritarian foreign influence* operations, the U.S. Congress should support public-private partnerships to tackle the challenge posed by disinformation and abuse of social media platforms, according to… Read more »