Central and Eastern Europe’s transition to democracy has not been smooth. But there are grounds for hope, notes Alison Smale. What would Vaclav Havel have made of post-1989 developments? she asked… Read more »
Thirty years after the Berlin Wall fell, ending the Cold War in Europe, new political divisions are rising between East and West. Despite the economic success of German reunification and… Read more »
Thirty years on, the fall of the Berlin Wall seems like a miraculous ending for the most indelible armed standoff of the Cold War. But the nonviolent collapse of the… Read more »
In recent years some European states have suffered dramatic regression, while others have experienced more subtle forms of democratic erosion. In response to this challenge, new European Commission President Ursula… Read more »
Despite the severity and duration of the authoritarian resurgence and illiberal populist backlash, supporters of liberal democracy can draw on strategies and tactics to strengthen democratic resilience, reverse regression, and… Read more »
More countries declined than improved in overall rule of law performance for the second year in a row, continuing a negative slide toward weaker rule of law around the world,… Read more »
In Samuel Huntington’s 1991 article on “Democracy’s Third Wave,” he argued that democratic declines are characterized by social and political polarization; the exclusion of populist and leftist movements by the… Read more »
Lebanon’s protesters want ethical universalism, even if the phrase doesn’t appear on any banners or placards. Freedom is no longer enough. They are demanding a government that represents and services… Read more »
Countries in Central and Eastern Europe that made significant gains in building their new democracies following the Cold War are now experiencing a crisis of illiberalism that is weakening the… Read more »
Thirty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, central and eastern Europeans believe that democracy, freedom of speech and the rule of law are under threat, according to a… Read more »