Why Putin abandoned Russia’s Western orientation
Less than a decade ago, it seemed self-evident that Russia, despite all of its cultural and political differences, was reclaiming its rightful place as part of the Western world. In… Read more »
Category: Authoritarianism
Autocrats’ sharp power fails to curb activists’ U.N. role
An alliance of authoritarian states lost a bid on Friday to weaken a U.N. resolution upholding civil society activists’ role in highlighting human rights violations, according to campaigners. The United… Read more »
Arab democracy depends on normalizing Islamist parties
Arab democracy would simply be inconceivable without Islamist participation, writes Brookings analyst Shadi Hamid. That, by itself, should give us pause, particularly at a time when Western democracies appear uninterested or even… Read more »
‘Factory of Lies’: Russia’s disinformation strategy and tactics
Factory of Lies is the name of a new television documentary introducing a number of journalists who have uncovered the hidden processes of the disinformation campaigns coming from Russia, EU vs Disinfo reports…. Read more »
Cuba’s authoritarian state – image vs. reality
A Cuban exile group is forwarding complaints to federal authorities about alleged human-rights violators in Cuba who now live in the United States, with the goal of deporting people… Read more »
The real China model: ‘autocracy with democratic characteristics’?
There is a growing fear in the West that developing countries are finding the so-called “China model” more appealing than liberal democracy, notes Yuen Yuen Ang, Associate Professor of Political… Read more »
Taiwan’s example counters apologists for authoritarianism
The U.S. State Department has reportedly requested the deployment of Marines (HT:CFR) to protect the de facto U.S. embassy in Taiwan. The move comes against a background of China’s… Read more »
How to challenge China’s power play
The United States and China are locked in a geopolitical competition that will largely determine the rules, norms, and institutions that govern international relations in the twenty-first century, according… Read more »
Orban’s chilling demand: ‘reconstruct European democracy’
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has issued a chilling message to EU leaders ahead of today’s crunch European Council summit, saying that European democracy must be ‘reconstructed’ in order to… Read more »
Ethiopia’s reform moves from ‘symbolic gestures’ to ‘specific steps’?
On Saturday, June 23, hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians rallied in the famous Meskel Square the heart of the capital city Addis Ababa, as citizen groups and human rights activists demonstrated support… Read more »