Why China is the big winner from Brexit
Publicly, China has lamented Britain’s decision to walk out on the EU. But there was a definite silver lining for Xi Jinping’s increasingly authoritarian China, “[and] it won’t have taken… Read more »
Author Archives: DemDigest
Brexit is a ‘warning to the liberal international order’
The British people’s decision to leave the European Union is the country’s single biggest democratic act in modern times, notes commentator Andrew Marr – and one of the elite’s most… Read more »
Putin’s ‘prelude to a purge’?
The arrest on June 24th of Nikita Belykh (above), the liberal-minded governor of the Kirovsk region, was headline news on Russian state television. It even preceded the report on… Read more »
Identity and interests trump ideology in countering sectarian radicalization
Extremist groups are able to recruit marginalized, impoverished youths because they give them a sense of belonging and identity, not because of their ideological appeal, says a leading Lebanese civil… Read more »
Brexit might undermine Europe’s democratic order
In the wake of the UK’s Brexit vote, it is easy to forget that democracy in Europe is a relatively recent development, notes Barnard College professor Sheri Berman. Up through… Read more »
Erdogan’s ‘divisive authoritarianism’ a factor in Istanbul attack?
The attack on Istanbul’s main airport has underlined President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s increased weakness, a vulnerability that’s a product of the actions of Turkey’s allies and opponents alike. But it’s partly Erdogan’s… Read more »
Corruption, Extremism, Kleptocracy: the Dangers of Failing Governance
Corruption is a pervasive problem in many societies and has the effect of undermining public confidence in democratic institutions, a Senate Foreign Relations Committee heard today. “All countries, to one… Read more »
Distorting the Truth: Behind the Magnitsky Film
The Moscow International film festival on Tuesday screened “The Magnitsky Act — Behind the Scenes.” The central premise of the film is that the U.S. was duped into sanctioning innocent… Read more »
Cuba ‘open for business’, closed to dissent
Cuba may be open for business, but it remains closed to dissent, according to a retired career American diplomat. “Despite President Obama’s best intentions, no improvement on the human rights… Read more »
How to save Venezuela
Venezuela‘s opposition’s campaign to gather enough petition signatures to recall President Nicolás Maduro has passed the first stage after enough of the signatures were ratified through the scrutiny process, reports suggest…. Read more »