Category: Democracy Assistance and Promotion

Angola’s kleptocracy resisting greater scrutiny

     

Angola’s reconstruction and oil boom presented the politically connected — those with “relatives in the kitchen,” as Angolans say — with a golden opportunity for self-enrichment. In an economy driven… Read more »

How Africa’s unions enhance democratization

     

Trade unions in Africa contribute to democratization by acting as instruments of political socialization for their members, according to new research. Survey data from 22,000 respondents in 18 African countries… Read more »

Elves vs. Trolls: Europe energized against disinformation threat

     

Russia has not hidden its liking for information warfare. The chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov, wrote in 2013 that “informational conflict” is a key part of war, The… Read more »

Syrian dissident’s treatment creates disincentive to dialogue

     

A prominent Syrian dissident has been told he cannot get political asylum in the United States because he organized a conference with Syrian opposition groups — even though the American… Read more »

Liu Xiaobo’s condition ‘a blow to China’s democracy movement’

     

China’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo was granted his request to seek treatment for advanced liver cancer outside prison. Liu, who was sentenced to prison in 2009 for advocating… Read more »

Democracy in crisis: innovative strategies for turning the tide

     

After the hope engendered by the Third Wave, democracies around the world are beleaguered with threats from multiple sources, according to a new book, described as “a healthy and constructive… Read more »

UN ‘abandons democracy’ in Asia? Why governance still matters

     

Governance should be “framed in terms of how power is being exercised instead of how it is acquired,” according to the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the… Read more »

Angolan activist’s prosecution is ‘retaliation’ for democracy award

     

Washington-based policy-makers on Capitol Hill and non-governmental groups alike are closely monitoring the prosecution of Angolan anti-corruption activist Rafael Marques, VOA reports. “Rafael was prosecuted in the past and imprisoned… Read more »

Kleptocrats without borders: Putin on defensive against corruption

     

A new poll released this week reveals a lot about how Russians view President Vladimir Putin. A whopping 87 percent of those surveyed say they trust him to represent their nation on… Read more »

Saudi ‘game of thrones’ consolidates autocracy

     

The appointment of Mohammad bin Salman, 31, as Saudi Arabia’s next king will accelerate his radical reform and further solidify the U.S.-Saudi partnership, says analyst Karen Elliott House, author of… Read more »