Russia shifts from soft power to hard-line
A new — and likely more aggressive — chapter in Russian diplomacy is about to begin in Washington with the departure of Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, whose soft-power approach to… Read more »
Category: Civil Society
What comes after ISIS? ‘There is nothing, no plan.’
The announcement of the so-called caliphate was a high point for the extremist fighters of the Islamic State. Their exhibitionist violence and apocalyptic ideology helped them seize vast stretches of… Read more »
Ukrainian civil society ‘gearing up’ to counter patronalistic regime?
The appointment of former U.S. ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker (right) to be special representative to Ukraine could breathe some much-needed life back into the drive for peace, whose momentum… Read more »
False Dawn? How (not) to advance Middle East democracy
Supporting indigenous democrats would be a more successful approach to promoting democracy in the Middle East than external intervention, especially militarized regime change, says a leading Arab democrat. “Foreign intervention… Read more »
Defending Western civilization without advancing democracy?
When President Trump spoke of the need to defend Western civilization in Poland last week, many saw an effort by him and some of his top White House advisers to redefine the… Read more »
South Africa’s Zuma ‘leading ANC onto a path of implosion’
Disputed resolutions, deferred decisions and policy uncertainty were the prime bequests of the policy conference of the African National Congress to the troubled organization, notes analyst Susan Booysen: To the question: is… Read more »
‘Faking concern about fake news’: engaging Russia will ’empower Putin’
Should the West collaborate with Russia on cybersecurity issues, despite the Kremlin’s information warfare conducted against the liberal democracies? “To forgive and forget when it comes to Putin, regarding cyberattacks,… Read more »
Defending Western civilization – without democracy?
In his speech in Poland on Thursday, US president Donald Trump didn’t even mention democracy, note Brian Klaas, a fellow at the London School of Economics, and Marcel Dirsus, a… Read more »
Time to prepare for Iran’s political collapse?
In a region littered with failed states, Iran is often mischaracterized as an island of stability, notes Ray Takeyh, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. The history… Read more »
‘Illiberal’ Poland rejects Putin-style autocracy
Polish citizens continue to support Western alliances and to reject authoritarian models of government, but express concerns about the effects of polarization on Poland’s democracy, according to a new poll… Read more »