Putin critic falls into coma
Vladimir Kara-Murza, a leader of the Russian opposition who has been a vocal critic of what he calls a Kremlin policy of assassinating political enemies has fallen into a life-threatening… Read more »
Author Archives: DemDigest
Autocracies fear ‘existential threat’ of democratic contagion
Think of two significant trend lines in the world today, writes Brookings analyst Robert Kagan. One is the increasing ambition and activism of the two great revisionist powers, Russia and… Read more »
What role for the United States in Venezuela?
As the economy continues to deteriorate—GDP shrank an estimated 19% last year and inflation hit 800%—there is little argument about the severity of the crisis in Venezuela. With dozens of political… Read more »
Learn the lessons of Russia’s creeping authoritarianism
A few hours before Vladimir Putin gave his 2014 new year’s speech, a shadowy group calling itself Shaltai Boltai — the Russian for Humpty Dumpty, the nursery rhyme character —… Read more »
A testing time for the China model
Perhaps because they are often poorly run, hotlines do not seem to be making local governments any more popular. These form the most despised tier of authority in China: many… Read more »
N. Korea’s jangmadang markets raise questions of regime resilience
Anything to break the information blockade in North Korea should be encouraged, from USB drives containing foreign films to radios that can be tuned to news broadcasts from abroad,… Read more »
Romania corruption protests: government surrender or strategic retreat?
Is there any other country in Europe where the No. 2 politician (head of the Senate) and the No 3 politician (head of the Chamber of Deputies), who have just… Read more »
Russia ‘weaponizing misinformation’ to ‘disable’ western democracy
Russia is using cyber-hacks and “weaponizing misinformation” to undermine the West, the U.K. warned today. “Today we see a country that, in weaponizing misinformation, has created what we might now… Read more »
Latin America: democracy under strain
“We are at an interesting moment in modern history,” according to Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the Organization of American States. “There appears to be a growing appetite for populist politics… Read more »
Has Putin poisoned another critic?
The U.S. ambassador to Moscow says the United States is monitoring the condition of Vladimir Kara-Murza Jr., a Kremlin critic who is in hospital with symptoms similar to those he… Read more »