Islam and democracy after the Arab Spring
The authoritarian backlash in the Middle East, with the Arab Winter following the Arab Spring, is part of the… Read more »
Category: Democratic institutions
Civil society pushes transparency for Malaysian ‘kleptocracy’
A leading Malaysian civil society group which promotes transparency and free and fair election has won a prestigious international human rights prize. The award coincides with a financial scandal… Read more »
How EU can confront the ‘Copenhagen dilemma’
The European Union is founded on a set of common principles of democracy, the rule of law, and fundamental rights. But whereas candidate Member States are vetted for their… Read more »
Ukraine: reasons for pessimism – and cautious optimism
Time is up for Ukraine’s President to convince society, politicians, and Western partners that he’s prepared to fight corruption. Every day of delay proves the opposite. By not interfering, Poroshenko… Read more »
Understanding Reform in Myanmar – a new configuration of power?
The National League for Democracy’s vigorous support of the Nationwide Ceasefire Accord and national political dialogue along with efforts to strengthen the parliament and other existing institutions can help to… Read more »
Civil society in post-Soviet space: legitimacy, linkage and learning
“Partly free” countries in the post-Soviet space must fight even harder now to protect growing civil societies, argues Orysia Lutsevych, the manager of the Ukraine Forum in London-based think tank… Read more »
Slovakia poll shows impact of Russian propaganda
Slovakia orients neither on Russia nor on the West, according to a recent poll carried out by the Slovak Atlantic Commission (SAC), the Central European Policy Institute (CEPI) and the… Read more »
Aylwin, who led Chile’s post-Pinochet transition, dies at 97
Patricio Aylwin, who as president of Chile in 1990 led the country’s transition to democracy from the dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet, died on Tuesday at his home here. He was… Read more »
Will the Putin regime crumble?
Yes, says Stephen Sestanovich, the George F. Kennan Senior Fellow for Russian and Eurasian Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, and a board member of the National Endowment for… Read more »
‘Closing space for civil society’ – analyzing the drivers and responses
Civil society organizations (CSOs) worldwide are under significant pressure, note Shannon N. Green, director of the Human Rights Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and Archana… Read more »