Category: Europe

‘Havel Speaking, Can You Hear Me?’

     

A special event Václav Havel, Speaking Today, with a keynote address by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (above), will highlight the historic speech 30 years ago before the… Read more »

‘Historically unique threat to democratic discourse’: Autocrats waging ‘digital war’

     

A digital ecosystem that can “defend and promote democracy” is needed to counter autocrats’ digital warfare, a top EU official said Thursday. Russia and China* are waging a “digital war”… Read more »

Christian Democracy or Illiberal Democracy?

     

  Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party will remain suspended from the European People’s Party, the EU’s conservative umbrella group, EPP chairman Donald Tusk said on Wednesday, extending a year-long standoff with… Read more »

Why the West is losing the fight for democracy

     

The “politics of imitation” is a phrase that recurs innumerable times in The Light That Failed: Why the West Is Losing the Fight for Democracy by Ivan Krastev (above) and Stephen Holmes,… Read more »

The Art of Deceit: How China and Russia’s sharp power subverts the West

     

For much of the last decade, China and Russia have been waging political warfare against the West – and we simply didn’t notice, says the co-editor of a new analysis…. Read more »

What went wrong in Central and Eastern Europe? A case for ‘pessoptimism’

     

There’s has been extensive and ongoing debate about “what went wrong in Central and Eastern Europe” and what explains its various forms of illiberalism and democratic decline. A variety of,… Read more »

How populism went mainstream

     

There is a specter haunting not just Europe, but the whole globe, quaking the boots of established political parties, legacy media outlets, and transnational institutions of government and civil society…. Read more »

As disinformation spreads, ‘microtargeting’ advertising tools may threaten democracy

     

  As Facebook sought to recover from its disastrous 2016 election season, company officials debated ways to curb distortions and disinformation on the platform. One of the most potentially powerful… Read more »

Post-1989 structures need ‘remodeling, even democracy,’ says Walesa

     

Did Central Europe’s democratic forces defeat one form of authoritarianism, but fail to anticipate other threats to freedom? The post-Cold War disruption in job markets, economic inequities, and disputes over… Read more »

How global refugee crisis challenges democracies

     

Forced migration has reached unprecedented levels around the world. While unique migration crises’ geographic origins range from South America to the Middle East, each crisis shares a common root cause—the… Read more »