Category: Democratic Transitions

IRGC takeover? Iran protests may change leadership, but not regime

     

Iran’s Supreme Leader demanded the judiciary punish those “who disrupt economic security” on Wednesday, following protests over the rial’s collapse and a tightening of U.S. sanctions pressure that has set… Read more »

Ethiopia’s reform moves from ‘symbolic gestures’ to ‘specific steps’?

     

On Saturday, June 23, hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians rallied in the famous Meskel Square the heart of the capital city Addis Ababa, as citizen groups and human rights activists demonstrated support… Read more »

Why China won’t democratize anytime soon

     

China has not democratized yet, nor will it anytime soon, because communism’s institutional setup does not allow for successful democratization, argues Stephen Kotkin, Professor in History and International Affairs at… Read more »

How to support Armenia’s democratic reform

     

Impressed by the level of civic involvement in Armenia’s current transition, the European Union is ready to observe forthcoming elections and strengthen democratic processes, said the chair of a visiting… Read more »

Anwar in the wings of Malaysia’s renascent democracy

     

The good news is that Najib Razak’s massively corrupt and incrementally despotic nine-year rule is over. The cautionary news is that Malaysia’s democracy is not yet fully secured, given the… Read more »

Military perfects art of undermining Pakistan’s ‘tutelary democracy’

     

On Friday Pakistan moved toward its second democratic transition of power in its 71-year-old history as Nasirul Mulk, a retired judge, was sworn in as caretaker prime minister for two months to… Read more »

Middle East has ‘too much democracy’?

     

  Tunisians are aware of their country as the only one in the Arab world trying to make the Islamist–non-Islamist divide work in a genuinely democratic way, notes Thomas Carothers,… Read more »

Armenia could become ‘laboratory for post-Soviet democracy’

     

Armenia could become a laboratory for post-Soviet democracy, analysts suggest. “This is a wake-up call,” says Richard Giragosian, director of the Regional Studies Center. “This is a scary message for… Read more »

Consolidating democracy after Malaysia’s election tsunami

     

Following his stunning electoral upset over Prime Minister Najib Razak, Malaysia’s 92-year-old prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad is steadfast on the need for reform and said his earlier tenure in no… Read more »