Category: Civil Society

International Women’s Day: defending women’s rights against authoritarianism

     

Women’s Learning Partnership Promo 2019 (English) from Women’s Learning Partnership on Vimeo. A recent public hearing of the US House Intelligence Committee dealt with the threat of rising authoritarianism and… Read more »

Yes, the world is getting more populist: what liberal democrats can learn

     

Your perception is accurate….. The world is becoming more populist, according to a new research project by the Guardian and Team Populism. Professor Kirk Hawkins, from Brigham Young University in… Read more »

Cyber attacks could ‘taint’ democratic governments’ legitimacy

     

Cyber-attacks could turn elections into “tainted exercises” that undermine Western democracies, the foreign secretary has said. In a speech in Glasgow, Jeremy Hunt said authoritarian regimes view democratic elections as… Read more »

Ethiopia: reform needs assistance to overcome ‘stiff resistance’

     

After more than two years of protests, power changed hands in Ethiopia last April. Under the new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia is shedding its reputation as a country that… Read more »

Iran’s power struggle ‘an opportunity for civil society & democratic forces’?

     

In historical examples of successful transitions to democracy, there has always been an alliance of democracy and civil society activists with centrists. The two must band together to prevent the… Read more »

The China Model’s problem: successes becoming liabilities

     

Recent technological, diplomatic, investment and infrastructure successes have made China attractive to smaller countries not only as an economic partner but as an ideological standard-bearer, notes Elizabeth C. Economy, C.V…. Read more »

‘No to the Fifth Term’: Algeria’s New Protest Movement

     

In recent weeks, Algeria has witnessed mass protests demanding that the ailing president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, not run for a fifth five-year term in the election scheduled for April 18. The… Read more »

Vietnam’s ‘digital dictatorship’ seeks to silence dissidents

     

The European Union (EU) must urge Vietnam to end its ongoing crackdown on peaceful dissent, repeal its repressive laws, and immediately release all political prisoners, according to human rights groups,… Read more »

Civic education can contribute to democratic renewal

     

What makes the  populist wave sweeping the Western world so disturbing is the characteristic that unites all populists: their rejection of liberal values, argues Carla Norrlof, Associate Professor of Political Science at… Read more »

How do democracies address scope & depth of authoritarian wave?

     

Jonathan Manthorpe’s best-selling Claws of the Panda is in many ways a primer on the central challenge of our era, notes Hugh Segal, Principal of Massey College, distinguished fellow at… Read more »