Chavismo comes full circle
Chavismo has come full circle, notes analyst David Smilde. From a movement that showed how non-elite actors could use the instruments of electoral democracy to upend an entrenched elite, Chavismo… Read more »
Author Archives: DemDigest
Ukraine stunned as political elite’s vast wealth made public
An anti-corruption reform requiring senior Ukrainian officials to declare their wealth online has exposed a vast difference between the fortunes of politicians and those they represent, Reuters reports: Some… Read more »
A new social contract in aftermath of North Africa’s Arab Spring?
In the search for a new social contract that establishes wider consensus-based political legitimacy, North African elites must be willing to simultaneously undertake openings and reforms in the political arena… Read more »
Orban leads surging illiberalism in CEE
Populist and nativist political parties have emerged throughout Europe, yet only in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) have these illiberal democratic parties gained power, notes Jacques Rupnik, director of research… Read more »
Mosul highlights ‘post-conflict bipolar disorder’
What the Mosul operation should be making obvious is that whoever gets to the gaps in governance and civil society first and best will win the epic struggles of identity… Read more »
Spotlight on Egypt’s repression
In theory, Egypt’s Public Prosecution should be an independent, impartial institution, defending the rights of all Egyptians before the law, notes a new report from the Project on Middle East… Read more »
‘Countering violent extremism’ – challenges and responses
Violent extremism is caused primarily by religious ideology more than racism, poverty, military interventions by foreign governments and human rights abuses, according to a new global poll published this week… Read more »
Resurgent authoritarians threaten liberal democracy
Liberal democracy is facing a growing threat from authoritarian regimes, says Carl Gershman, president of the National Endowment for Democracy. “Russia, China, and Iran are asserting their power in a… Read more »
Ethiopia pullout aids comeback by Somalia’s Al-Shabab
The resurgence of Al-Shabab, Somalia’s Islamic extremists allied to al-Qaida, could affect Somalia’s plans to hold elections next month and further destabilize what is already one of the world’s most… Read more »
West’s ‘China fantasy’ a conceptual failure and strategic blunder
A top-level meeting of the ruling Chinese Communist Party has endorsed President Xi Jinping as a “core” leader, giving him equal billing with late supreme leaders Deng Xiaoping and Mao… Read more »