Author Archives: DemDigest

Cultural Revolution nightmare still disturbs Chinese democracy dream

     

  The nightmare of the Cultural Revolution continues to disturb the dream of Chinese democracy, The Economist notes: The violence of the Cultural Revolution, and the many officials it claimed… Read more »

Vietnam’s protesters look to Obama’s visit

     

President Obama is considering broadly expanding weapons sales to Vietnam in a move aimed at strengthening ties with Hanoi and boosting regional defenses against China’s growing clout, according to the Los… Read more »

Chávez’s legacy: Venezuela heading for collapse

     

Venezuela‘s army is to be backed by civilians grouped into ancillary security units, to tackle food shortages and public unrest, under a state of emergency decree published on Monday, reports suggest:… Read more »

Europe’s liberal power ‘a two-way street’?

     

The West is losing credibility in furthering democracy around the world because of mounting dysfunctionalities in its own political systems, notes Carnegie analyst Richard Youngs. Now in question are two… Read more »

Democracy support strategies in Africa are effective

     

  The human and financial stakes are high in democracy promotion. It is not enough to know which contexts are most ripe or hostile for democratic development. Effective democracy promotion… Read more »

Democracy in Asia the ‘unspoken issue’ in TPP agenda

     

  The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a national security imperative that is likely to enhance prospects for advancing democracy in Asia, analysts suggest. After World War II, the U.S., having learned… Read more »

Durability of democracy’s appeal is ‘biggest known unknown’

     

The durability of free-market democracy’s global appeal is “the biggest known unknown” about the next generation global economy, says a prominent analyst. Five significant political economy questions stand out, Tuft… Read more »

Myanmar: transition, competition and trust

     

The Obama administration plans to announce Tuesday that the U.S. is easing sanctions on Myanmar to make it easier for American companies to do business there, The Wall Street Journal… Read more »