Russia: poor partner for a ‘grand bargain’
The west looks fragile but Putin’s Russia may be unable to step up to a leading global role, The Financial Times suggests: Putin has “staked out a position that thrives… Read more »
Category: Authoritarianism
Beware wolves in populist clothing
Nationalists versus globalists. Traditionalists versus multiculturalists. The “left behind” versus the elites. If the world’s populists are to be believed, these binary battle lines — ideological boundaries as clear as those… Read more »
Why democracies lose in cyber-warfare
Cyber confrontation is asymmetrical, not because democracies are at a technological disadvantage (the U.S. is among the world’s leaders in the technologies needed to wage cyberwars), but because a state… Read more »
Cyber spies target Egyptian rights activists
American-Egyptian author Mona Eltahawy is one of many activists and human rights advocates targeted in a sweeping cyber-espionage campaign blamed on Egypt’s government, The Associated Press has found: A booby-trapped… Read more »
Why authoritarians’ rise is ‘a global catastrophe’
Tragically, world institutions and organizations have failed to properly address authoritarianism. Western governments sometimes protest human rights violations in countries such as Russia, Iran, and North Korea — but routinely… Read more »
Romania: when the population turns against the populists
What happens when the population turns against the populists? Just such a drama is playing out in Romania, a country of 20 million people where hundreds of thousands have poured… Read more »
World entering an “illiberal moment,” a “post-truth, post-West, post-order” era?
The world may be heading into an “illiberal moment,” a “post-truth, post-West, post-order” era, characterized by democratic decline and growing support for authoritarian governance, the annual Munich Security Conference has… Read more »
Is Turkey heading toward autocracy?
A referendum in Turkey on April 16 will decide whether the country’s parliamentary system is replaced with a stronger presidency. This is something President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is hoping for,… Read more »
Anti-torture group’s closure highlights Egypt’s civil society crackdown
Egyptian police on Thursday shut down the offices of an organization that treats victims of torture and violence in the latest escalation of a harsh government crackdown against human rights defenders and… Read more »
China, N Korea and Iran copying Russia’s information warfare
Russia is suspected of being behind a sustained hacking attack against the Italian foreign ministry last year that compromised email communications and lasted for many months before it was detected,… Read more »