Category: Analysis

Tackle ideological roots of jihadism to counter terrorism

     

The increasing threat of terrorism has not just influenced American perceptions of the liberal international order. It has had an impact in European democracies as well, contributing to Brexit and… Read more »

Democracies must not fall for terrorism’s ‘strategy of provocation’

     

How can democracies combat terrorism without undermining liberal democratic norms and institutions? Following the terrorist attacks in Manchester and London, British Prime Minister Theresa May has proposed restricting internet freedom… Read more »

War by Other Means – how Russia’s ‘active measures’ weaponize information

     

Born in the shadowy reaches of the internet, most fake news stories prove impossible to trace to their origin. But researchers at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab excavated the… Read more »

Kleptocracy ‘not a domestic problem’: corruption’s devastating consequences

     

Massive protests in Venezuela, Tunisia, Brazil, Morocco, and the Dominican Republic [and Slovakia, left] over the last few weeks have highlighted political graft around the globe, and the ensuing instability… Read more »

The hard edge of China’s soft power exposed

     

  Australia is reviewing its espionage laws and banning foreign political donations over concerns that China is buying influence by using rich businessmen to funnel millions of dollars in donations… Read more »

Slovakia’s corruption undermining democracy, fueling extremism

     

Thousands of Slovaks rallied in Bratislava on Monday to protest against corruption and demand the resignation of the interior minister over his ties with a developer under investigation for tax… Read more »

Russia’s soft power: information warfare here to stay

     

Russia has played an outsized role in the development of modern authoritarian systems, especially in media control, propaganda, the smothering of civil society, and the weakening of political pluralism, according… Read more »

Democratic renewal will help the Free World ‘out of its defensive crouch’

     

Liberal democrats need to go on the offensive to counter the external authoritarians and internal illiberal forces undermining democratic institutions and liberal values, says a prominent commentator. Ideas have power,… Read more »

How modern authoritarians are breaking down democracy

     

  Modern authoritarianism has succeeded, where previous totalitarian systems failed, due to new strategies of repression, the exploitation of open societies, and the spread of illiberal policies in democratic countries… Read more »

Rif protests: Morocco’s Bouazizi moment?

     

Morocco’s authorities have carried out a chilling wave of arrests rounding up scores of protesters, activists and bloggers in the Rif, northern Morocco, over the past week following months of… Read more »