Category: Analysis

Populist turn exposed brittle consensus on liberal democracy

     

Reaction to the French presidential election result demonstrates just how low our standards have sunk. Anything short of outright triumph by the enemies of liberal democracy is now interpreted as… Read more »

Is Russia’s anti-corruption movement Putin’s Kryptonite?

     

  Russian President Vladimir Putin today criticized opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, indirectly accusing him of using his anticorruption campaign to gain political prominence, RFE/RL reports: Without naming Navalny in comments… Read more »

How to tackle al Qaeda’s resurgent threat

     

The most formidable al Qaeda franchises have embedded themselves within complex local conflicts in failing states such as Somalia, Yemen and Syria, notes Ali Soufan, the author of “Anatomy of… Read more »

Advancing human rights – with data

     

The International Human Rights Funders Group and Foundation Center recently published Advancing Human Rights: Update on Global Foundation Grantmaking, a report analyzing the who, what, where, and how of human rights philanthropy, notes Merrill Sovner,… Read more »

Liberal democracy ‘docile in defense of itself’

     

The peace-building aspect of the liberal order has been an extraordinary success, but its institutions have become disconnected from publics in the very countries that created them, according to Jeff D. Colgan and Robert… Read more »

Does democracy matter? Call for renewed conviction

     

Today’s publication of a new book on democracy support occurs as we approach the 35th anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s Westminster Address – the founding text for the democracy assistance effort,… Read more »

Approaching a tipping point? Venezuela seizes GM plant as protests swell

     

  General Motors said on Thursday that the Venezuelan authorities had seized its vehicle assembly plant in the country, adding to the chaos in the already-struggling auto industry there, The… Read more »