Category: Analysis

The Soviet Collapse and the Charm of Hindsight: Misplaced optimism for Russian democracy?

     

On leaving Moscow in May 1992, I wrote: “I do not think it is an act of mindless optimism to look forward to a future in which Russia has developed… Read more »

The other ‘God That Failed’? The triumph and tragedy of 1989

     

“Always prepared!” For decades, it was a catchphrase of the Pioneers, an outdoorsy youth group that was a hallmark of communist indoctrination efforts targeting schoolchildren throughout the U.S.S.R. and its… Read more »

After 20 years, Nigeria’s ‘old men’s club’ of democracy shows resilience, needs reform

     

Nigeria’s politics remains an “old men’s club,” former US diplomat Linda Thomas-Greenfield told this week’s forum (above) organised by the National Endowment for Democracy in partnership with the Ford Foundation… Read more »

Democracies ill-equipped to counter info warfare in ‘Age of Durable Disorder’

     

A coordinated cyberespionage campaign using phishing to harvest passwords from mobile phones and computers has targeted U.N. relief agencies, the International Red Cross and other non-governmental organizations groups for the… Read more »

Latin America risks becoming ‘land of militarized democracies’

     

Latin America used to be known as the land of the military junta. It is now at risk of becoming the land of militarized democracies, according to Javier Corrales, a… Read more »

What drives democratization? Success of mass protests depends on who is protesting

     

Many observers fear that democracy is currently at risk, some blaming the less-educated  working classes, supposedly more inclined to support authoritarian populist politicians and parties, for the democratic backlash. Political analysts… Read more »

How to re-ignite democracy: Recovering the promise of 1989

     

  After communism fell, the promises of western liberalism to transform central and eastern Europe were never fully realized – and now we are seeing the backlash, argue Ivan Krastev and Stephen… Read more »

Liberal democracy ‘alien to human nature’? Intense battle for political minds and souls

     

A dramatic debate between US strategist Stephen Bannon and French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy* at the Athens Democracy Forum, illustrated the intensity of the battle for political minds and souls, The… Read more »

Armenia’s authentic democratic breakthrough faces central dilemma

     

Nikol Pashinyan’s government, which came to power as a result of Armenia’s Velvet Revolution, has the best chance in the state’s newly independent history of bringing about a sustainable democratic… Read more »

Poverty & Freedom: Inequality feeding democracy’s susceptibilities to degeneration?

     

Enhancing global prosperity must begin with supporting locally-led initiatives that eliminate institutional barriers to freedom—and give citizens greater choice over their future, according to a new book. Governments and philanthropists… Read more »