An ‘existential threat’ in China’s future?
More than halfway through his five-year term as president of China and general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party—expected to be the first of at least two—Xi Jinping’s widening crackdown… Read more »
Category: dissent
China prompts criticism with new curbs on foreign NGOs
China took a major step on Thursday in President Xi Jinping’s movement away from Western influences and toward stronger social control, as it passed a new law aimed at limiting the work… Read more »
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 »
Political aftershocks hit Ecuador
Ecuador is still reeling from the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck last week, killing 654 people, injuring 16,600, and leaving 25,000 homeless, Vice News reports: Last Wednesday, President Rafael… Read more »
Egypt: the paradox of repression
Egypt’s military has deployed forces to public landmarks ahead of a protest planned for Monday. At issue: President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi’s agreement to relinquish two islands to Saudi Arabia, CNN reports:… Read more »
Free speech ‘under siege’ in Vietnam
More than 100 Vietnamese – an unprecedented amount – tried to run in the May 22 election as independents, including activists bent on testing the party’s sincerity about fostering inclusiveness… Read more »
Teflon Putin: corrupt but secure?
The biggest surprise about the Russian reaction to the Panama Papers leaks came in the form of a poster that depicted Russian President Vladimir Putin as the drug-addled protagonist played by Johnny Depp in… Read more »
Egypt’s hollowed-out civil society
Authoritarian regimes are, in general, averse to a strong civil society. Egypt is no exception, notes Gamal Eid (left), an Egyptian lawyer and the director of the Arabic Network for… Read more »
Dissent erupts within Cuba’s Communist Party
Days after President Barack Obama’s historic visit, the leaders of Cuba’s Communist Party are under highly unusual public criticism from their own ranks for imposing new levels of secrecy on… Read more »
Obama carpets ‘stone-faced’ Castro
Cuba’s Communist regime should tolerate dissent, criticism and even protests, President Barack Obama told its leaders, in a powerful speech, televised across the island, in which he outlined the benefits… Read more »