Category: Analysis

Time to sanction Iran’s slush fund (and its brutal custodian)

     

A former presidential candidate in Iran runs a massive business conglomerate that helps Tehran suppress dissent at home and export terror abroad, notes Tzvi Kahn, a Penn Kemble fellow at… Read more »

How to fight populism? ‘The Renewal of Representation’

     

“The best response to populism is not to attack it. Instead, efforts should be made to improve the quality, transparency and functioning of democratic institutions, which would, in turn, address… Read more »

Beware the dangers of digital activism

     

Democracy advocates should be aware of the limitations of digital activism, argues Manal al-Sharif, co-founder and leader of the #Women2Drive movement, founder and CEO of Women2Hack Academy, and author of… Read more »

Russia and the West fighting a ‘disinformation-age battle’

     

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis accused Russia on Monday of attempting to influence the outcome of a referendum in Macedonia on changing the country’s name that would open the way… Read more »

Advancing or retarding democracy? Soft power is out; sharp power is in

     

Authoritarian states are attempting to exert influence through sharp power, which typically stems from ideologies that privilege state power over individual liberty and are fundamentally hostile to open debate and independent… Read more »

‘Flawed strategy’ failing to counter Islamist extremism

     

The threat from Islamist militants is growing and the current approach for tackling the threat will fail unless there is a global strategy to tackle the roots of extremism, says… Read more »

Hacking democracy or creating change through digital engagement?

     

As the United Nations celebrates the International Day of Democracy on September 15 under the rubric of “Democracy Under Strain,” New York University’s Governance Lab unveils its CrowdLaw Manifesto to strengthen public participation in lawmaking. “This manifesto shares… Read more »

Illiberal democracy – liberalism vs. democracy?

     

“[W]hat, in practice, can the idea of democracy possibly mean?” political scientist James Miller asks in Can Democracy Work? A Short History of a Radical Idea, From Ancient Athens to Our World. Miller begins… Read more »

Will democracy win? Liberalism vs. its adversaries

     

The past century has been marked by repeated proclamations of the triumph of democracy. However, they have proved premature. Today, illiberal actors have once more gained footholds on both sides… Read more »

A manifesto for renewing liberal democracy

     

It is time for a liberal reinvention, according to The Economist, which advocates “a liberal revival—a liberalism for the people,” echoing similar calls for democratic renewal. In one flavor or… Read more »