‘Neo-autocracy’: turning democracy into a tool of oppression
Władysław Frasyniuk (above) championed democracy in the face of Communist rule in Poland in the 80s. Now, he warns the freedom he fought for is starting to slip away. (The… Read more »
Category: Civil Society
How authoritarians are ‘dismantling democracy from the inside’
Authoritarian learning facilitates the ‘dismantling of democracy from the inside’, The Washington Post’s Amanda Erickson writes. It used to be that autocrats came to power through coups or by enacting states… Read more »
Nigeria’s election: human rights on the agenda
On February 16, 2019, Nigeria will hold its first national elections since the nation’s peaceful transfer of political power in 2015. While pre-election assessments suggest positive developments by electoral stakeholders,… Read more »
EU launches ‘war against disinformation’: resisting Russia’s ‘populace-centric warfare’
Russia’s efforts to weaken America’s democratic institutions aren’t limited to elections — but also extend to the U.S. justice system, a group of cybersecurity, national security and legal experts told… Read more »
Austerity squeeze: middle class discontent stirs memories of Arab Spring
A wave of economic austerity is squeezing the Arab world’s middle class, pushing a segment of society that is key to growth and stability into making painful cutbacks and fueling… Read more »
Could democratic world feel the heat from Paris?
France is the latest European country to experience an upsurge of anti-elitist sentiment ripe for exploitation by populist or illiberal forces. The demonstrators known as gilets jaunes — “yellow vests,” named after… Read more »
Civic technology: defending democracy in the digital age
Unless we take action, chatbots could seriously endanger our democracy, and not just when they go haywire, notes Jamie Susskind, a past fellow of Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet… Read more »
Iran on ‘upward trajectory’ strengthening ideological, coercive pillars of regime
The Islamic Republic of Iran is strengthening the security forces and religious institutions that constitute the two key pillars of the regime, says an Institute for International Strategic Studies analysis…. Read more »
A ‘dark day for freedom’: Hungary’s democracy ‘dying a slow death’
European Union leaders warned that it was a red line, and dared Hungary not to cross it. The U.S. ambassador pegged the issue as his top priority. In the streets of… Read more »
Restricting basic freedoms ‘the new global norm’?
Nearly six in ten countries are seriously restricting people’s basic rights of association, peaceful assembly and expression, according to data released by the CIVICUS Monitor, which rates and tracks fundamental freedoms… Read more »