Author Archives: DemDigest

Is America so bad at promoting democracy?

     

If you’re a dedicated Wilsonian, the past quarter-century must have been pretty discouraging, argues Stephen M. Walt, the Robert and Renée Belfer professor of international relations at Harvard University. Convinced… Read more »

Political aftershocks hit Ecuador

     

Ecuador is still reeling from the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck last week, killing 654 people, injuring 16,600, and leaving 25,000 homeless, Vice News reports: Last Wednesday, President Rafael… Read more »

Long-term investment, not rapid intervention, nurtures democracy

     

Many Americans no longer seem to value the liberal international order that the United States created after World War II and sustained throughout the Cold War and beyond, according to Ivo… Read more »

Egypt: the paradox of repression

     

  Egypt’s military has deployed forces to public landmarks ahead of a protest planned for Monday. At issue: President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi’s agreement to relinquish two islands to Saudi Arabia, CNN reports:… Read more »

Why Congo’s new government is arresting the opposition

     

The Republic of Congo has issued an arrest warrant for a former rebel leader known as Pastor Ntumi, who’s being held responsible for a gun battle in the capital, Brazzaville,… Read more »

How African governments block social media

     

A small but increasing group of African governments is blocking social media during elections. The BBC’s Clare Spencer asks why and how this is done and how people get around… Read more »

Global Erosion of Democracy – 2016 Transformation Index

     

The 2016 Transformation Index BTI of the German Bertelsmann Stiftung ranks 74 out of 129 developing countries as democracies—the highest level since the survey was developed. This fact, however, belies… Read more »

Islam and democracy after the Arab Spring

     

                       The authoritarian backlash in the Middle East, with the Arab Winter following the Arab Spring, is part of the… Read more »

Free speech ‘under siege’ in Vietnam

     

More than 100 Vietnamese – an unprecedented amount – tried to run in the May 22 election as independents, including activists bent on testing the party’s sincerity about fostering inclusiveness… Read more »

Sri Lanka ‘lost in transition’?

     

  In January 2015, Maithripala Sirisena (left) surprised the world when he defeated his old boss Mahinda Rajapaksa in Sri Lanka’s presidential election, analyst Taylor Dibbert writes for Foreign Affairs: His… Read more »