Guatemala’s fragile progress imperiled?
What happens in Guatemala matters far beyond its borders, argues Anita Isaacs, a professor of political science at Haverford College. The country is a test case in a region-wide battle… Read more »
Category: Civil Society
Women’s empowerment a rare bright spot in democracy landscape
In a global democracy landscape marked by considerable gloom, progress in women’s political empowerment is a rare bright spots of recent years, argues the Carnegie Endowment’s Thomas Carothers a… Read more »
Can Jordan’s autocratic regime democratize?
A recent change of government and looming parliamentary elections brings Jordan, a vital U.S. ally, back into policy discussions, say analysts Sean Yom and Wael Al-Khatib. And, inevitably, pundits will… Read more »
Time to act on Azerbaijan
Earlier this year, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan looked like he was softening his authoritarian grip on his country, note David J. Kramer and Richard Kauzlarich. But since President Obama’s… Read more »
Illiberal international seeks ‘cultural counter-revolution’
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Jarosław Kaczyński, the leader of Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, have proclaimed a counter-revolution aimed at turning the European Union into an… Read more »
Gay Cuban journalist dismissed, as Farinas hunger strike continues
A gay Cuban journalist and activist says he was fired from a government-run radio station because he worked with independent media, The Washington Blade reports: Maykel González Vivero (left) hosted… Read more »
USAID must save Afrobarometer, say former Africa Bureau officials
One of Africa’s most important democracy advocacy organizations is in trouble because of a sharp decrease in donor funding, according to several former Assistant Secretaries in the State Department’s Bureau… Read more »
MidEast governments’ hostility to foreign analysts prompts protest
Middle Eastern governments and media are demonstrating increasing hostility to foreign researchers and journalists, according to an open letter signed by a group of distinguished scholars, academics, journalists, and… Read more »
Is the U.S. giving up on supporting democracy abroad?
Serious pessimism about democracy’s global fortunes as well as skepticism about the value and wisdom of democracy promotion have gripped Washington, argues Thomas Carothers, vice president for studies at the… Read more »
‘Rebalancing’ to Asia falters in Laos?
Neither ‘Asian values’ nor any other form of regional exceptionalism can be invoked to justify authoritarian rule, President Barack Obama said in Laos today. “[D]emocracy can flourish in Asia because… Read more »