The future of Arab reform: beyond autocrats and Islamists
The argument for democratic reform in the Middle East seems harder to make today, despite the evidence for it being clearer, than it was when the Arab Spring sprung, argues… Read more »
Category: Democracy and security
Have leading democracies ‘lost their moral fervor’?
Some Americans have concluded that the best thing to do is to pull back from the world and its troubles, say three prominent former officials. Some argue that America’s role… Read more »
After 25 years, can Ukraine turn the corner?
The International Monetary Fund is today widely expected to approve a disbursement of least $1bn for war-torn Ukraine that was delayed for a year amid a domestic political crisis 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 »
Promises made, promises broken? Russia and the West
The West does not need to back down from its view that the inclusion of Central and Eastern Europe into NATO and the EU promoted strategic interests and values, notes… Read more »
International democratic institutions can counter autocrats’ lawfare
Whatever problems China and Russia may be experiencing, the foreign policy of both countries are a growing threat to global peace and security, argues Ingrid Wuerth, a Professor at Vanderbilt… Read more »
Corruption could ‘send Ukraine back to Russia’?
The European Union today announced plans to give Ukraine some 50 million euros (55 million dollars) to fight corruption. EU Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes… Read more »
ISIS ‘metastasizing’ – losing territory and social media presence
The Islamic State group lost 12% of the territory it holds in Iraq and Syria – an area the size of Ireland – in the first half of 2016,… Read more »
Chilcot report proves Iraq war was not about advancing democracy
The invasion of Iraq has had a huge impact on the debate about democracy in the Middle East—and almost entirely a detrimental one, notes Jane Kinninmont, senior research fellow… Read more »
Real danger to the world isn’t Brexit – it’s the rise of illiberalism
Two weeks after Britain’s EU referendum, Europe has defied predictions that the UK’s vote to leave would inspire a surge in copycat breakaway movements, with establishment parties enjoying gains and populists… Read more »