Category: Democracy Assistance and Promotion

Iran – one of the world’s worst countries for workers

     

Iranian women confront an array of restrictions, such as on their ability to travel, prohibitions on entering certain jobs, and an absence of basic legal protections, Human Rights Watch said in… Read more »

‘Principled realism’ sacrificing human rights, democracy in ‘value-neutral transactions’?

     

Does a foreign policy of “principled realism” necessarily entail sidelining human rights concerns and offering few critiques of authoritarian leaders’ records on democracy, the rule of law and protecting essential… Read more »

Mideast sectarianism a byproduct of geopolitical rivalry

     

During his speech in Saudi Arabia, President Donald Trump spoke of the need to confront and “isolate” Iran.  But the Iran challenge is more intricate and perplexing than the one faced… Read more »

‘Principled realism’ needs better ideas to combat extremist ideology

     

A “coalition of nations” in the Middle East is needed to stamp out “extremism,” U.S. President Donald Trump told the weekend’s Arab-Islamic American Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “This is… Read more »

Is a Grave New World the Fate of the West?

     

The system of economic and political openness that has obtained since the end of the second world war and extended since the collapse of the Soviet Union is now under… Read more »

Closing civic space eases creeping authoritarianism

     

The closing of civic space has become a defining feature of political life in an ever-increasing number of countries, according to Civil Society Under Assault: Repression and Responses, a new… Read more »

Counting the cost of corruption: citizen movements demanding transparency

     

Thousands of Moroccans marched in a northern town to protest against injustice and corruption this week, Reuters reports: Political protests are rare in Morocco, but tensions in al-Hoceima have been… Read more »

Caught between fear and repression in Bangladesh

     

The murders of secular activists by violent Islamist militants in Bangladesh have received considerable international and domestic attention, notes a new report from Amnesty international. However, they have taken place… Read more »

New corruption scandal a further blow to Brazil’s democracy

     

Brazilian President Michel Temer is once again under fire, this time amid reports that prosecutors have obtained recordings of him discussing hush money payments with a jailed associate. The obstruction… Read more »