Autocratic assertion meets democratic dereliction
The coronavirus pandemic must not be used as a pretext for authoritarian states to trample over individual human rights, or repress the free flow of information, the UN secretary general… Read more »
Category: Democracy and security
Learn to live with despots or avoid ‘realist’ retreat?
Former State Policy Planning Director Steve Krasner (someone we have worked with and respect) has written a piece in Foreign Affairs (“Learning to Live with Despots”) that advocates realism as the… Read more »
Don’t pave the way for authoritarian spheres of influence
Washington still has the power to prevent Beijing and Moscow from dominating their regions, so long as it rejects advice to cut loose its vulnerable frontline allies. A tougher, more… Read more »
Essential weekend reading: Why the West is worth saving
No historical rhythm guarantees that democracy is just around the corner in China or Russia or anywhere else, argues Michael Kimmage, Professor of History at The Catholic University of America…. Read more »
Will Covid-19 prompt breakdown of democratic regimes?
Halfhearted reform in response to the COVID-19 crisis will simply renew the invitation to populists to take up arms against liberal democracy, a leading analyst suggests. A cautionary tale lies… Read more »
Democratic adaptability vs autocratic ruthlessness: Coronavirus impacts great power competition
The major dividing line in effective crisis response will not place autocracies on one side and democracies on the other, argues Stanford’s Francis Fukuyama. Rather, there will be some high-performing… Read more »
Surveillance or solidarity? Democracies respond to Covid-19
Pandemics are democratizing experiences and can also catalyze social change. The Atlantic’s Ed Yong writes: People, businesses, and institutions have been remarkably quick to adopt or call for practices that… Read more »
Policy recommendations for strengthening democracy
In the wake of Freedom in the World 2020, the latest survey of political rights and civil liberties in 210 states, which details continuing democratic deterioration, Freedom House offers a… Read more »
Global struggle for democracy ‘lacking leadership’
The past twelve months registered the 14th consecutive year of decline in global freedom, according to Freedom in the World 2020, the latest survey of political rights and civil liberties… Read more »
‘Westlessness’: Liberal democracies’ malaise allows for renewal
A revitalization of the West in the world must start at home. But, in contrast to autocratic regimes, liberal democracies have built-in mechanisms that allow for course corrections and democratic… Read more »