Category: Civil Society

Could populism actually be good for democracy?

     

While democracy may be widely admired, it is, in its liberal form, an embattled ideology, according to James Miller, author of Can Democracy Work?  As the social scientist William Galston… Read more »

Democratic learning: how does Armenia’s transition compare to Color Revolutions?

     

  Armenian citizens are showing widespread optimism about the country’s future and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government, according to new national poll from the International Republican Institute’s (IRI) Center for Insights in… Read more »

Beijing’s information warfare ‘chivvying Taiwan’s vibrant democracy’

     

Taiwan’s president has accused China of disrupting international stability and committed to boosting her country’s defenses in the face of what Taipei sees as a growing threat from Beijing, The… Read more »

Disinformation vs. ‘new frontier in terms of internet activism’

     

United States officials say they intercepted communications in June showing that Greek-Russian billionaire Ivan Savvidis was working as Russia’s conduit to undermine an agreement between Greece and Macedonia that would… Read more »

Nobel highlights sexual violence as indicator of conflict

     

  In choosing Iraqi Yazidi activist Nadia Murad and gynaecologist Dr. Denis Mukwege as recipients for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has further highlighted the importance… Read more »

Building Democracy after Popular Nonviolent Uprisings

     

Nonviolent movements make democratic transitions more likely and lead to stronger democracies, according to a new analysis by Jonathan Pinckney of the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict  (downloadable here). Drawing from… Read more »

As autocrats undermine democracy, can West counter the threat?

     

Efforts to directly confront China and Russia over their anti-democratic actions are unlikely to yield results and may further bolster their collaboration, according to analysts Andrea Kendall-Taylor and David Shullman. There are,… Read more »

Can U.S. democracy policy survive?

     

Could the United States upgrade democracy promotion as part of a broader response to heightened geopolitical competition? The Trump administration might, for example, try to use democracy assistance to counter… Read more »

In Sisi’s Egypt, ‘no one is secure’

     

An Egyptian court on Saturday handed down a suspended two-year sentence against Amal Fathy, a female activist convicted of insulting employees at a bank and using abusive language to criticize… Read more »

Brazil: the next democracy to fall in populist wave?

     

This October, Brazilians will go to the polls to elect a new president, and the country could become the next democracy to fall in the populist wave that has been… Read more »