Prospects for compromise in Iraq
The decision by Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to have his supporters seize and then vacate parliament in Baghdad appeared to be the act of a man who—at least for now—wants to control rather than… Read more »
Category: democratic regression
Political violence pushes Bangladesh close to ‘democratic collapse’
Al Qaeda and Islamic State have both sought to gain a foothold in this predominantly Muslim nation of 160 million people, and experts worry that Bangladesh is ill equipped… Read more »
Funding Mideast democracy in the face of authoritarian pushback
The U.S. Congress has taken note of the dexterity and flexibility of non-governmental democracy assistance groups in responding to the more challenging environment in the Middle East, says a report… Read more »
Is America so bad at promoting democracy?
If you’re a dedicated Wilsonian, the past quarter-century must have been pretty discouraging, argues Stephen M. Walt, the Robert and Renée Belfer professor of international relations at Harvard University. Convinced… Read more »
Authoritarianism Goes Global
Over the past decade, illiberal powers have become emboldened and gained influence within the global arena. Leading authoritarian countries―including China, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela―have developed new tools… Read more »
What’s next for Iraq?
Iraq is facing a looming economic crisis, with a displaced population of 3.3m people, according to the UN, and renewed sectarian bloodshed which could fuel the very resentments that helped… Read more »
Nations in Transit: Europe & Eurasia – grim portrait of decline, small reasons for hope
While economic downturns are threatening the stability of the former Soviet Union’s “entrenched dictatorships,” the migration crisis is fueling populism in Eastern Europe, and reforms in the Balkans are in… Read more »
Video shows ‘Putin’s New Praetorians’ training to suppress a Moscow Maidan
On April 5, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia would develop a national guard to fight terrorism and crime, but a recently released video (above) from Open Russia purports to show the guard training to… Read more »
Venezuela’s failed state: is there light at the end of the tunnel?
“Widespread Blackouts Loom As Venezuela’s Dams Run out of Water” was the ominous headline from the PanAm Post on March 16. And even though the government blames El Niño, engineers apparently have… Read more »
Latin America’s civil society confronting difficult times… and silence
There was a time in the 1990s when development practitioners, former leftist revolutionaries, activists, and academics reified civil society, notes Christopher Sabatini, PhD, the editor of www.LatinAmericaGoesGlobal.org and an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s School of… Read more »