‘Good Wife’ faces unpleasant truths in post-war Balkans
The repressed return with a vengeance in “A Good Wife,” a classically styled directorial debut for acclaimed actress Mirjana Karanovic, who also takes the lead role in this tale of… Read more »
Category: National Endowment for Democracy
Egypt’s durable Arab Spring: fear explains revolution’s failure?
Today’s anniversary of the 2011 Egyptian revolution—which led in quick succession to the overthrow of longtime President Hosni Mubarak, the election of the Muslim Brotherhood–affiliated candidate Mohamed Morsi, and… Read more »
‘American original’ Robert Pickus spoke truth to power
Robert Pickus, who devoted his life to developing non-violent alternatives to war, died on Friday in St. Helena, Ca. He was 92, The New York Times reports: War, he argued,… Read more »
Oil price collapse good news for Ukraine’s anti-corruption efforts
The global collapse of oil prices is good news for Ukraine, says Anders Åslund, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and author of Ukraine: What Went Wrong and How… Read more »
Putin says Lenin was wrong, Stalin right: US says Putin ‘corrupt’
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday criticized Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin, accusing him of placing a “time bomb” under the state, and sharply denouncing brutal repressions by the Bolshevik government,… Read more »
Authoritarian trendsetters’ antidemocratic toolkit
Authoritarian trendsetters have created a modern antidemocratic toolkit that in many ways serves as the mirror image of democratic soft power, the National Endowment for Democracy’s Christopher Walker writes… Read more »
Zimbabwe court ruling hailed by activists
Zimbabwe‘s top court has outlawed marriage for anyone under the age of 18 in a ruling hailed by activists as major progress towards ending child marriage, Agence France Presse reports:… Read more »
10 questions for Francis Fukuyama
Is a pessimist simply a well-informed optimist? Francis Fukuyama, author of the famous 1989 essay, “The End of History,” offers his thoughts about the importance of optimism and how so… Read more »
Gabon-France spat could boost opposition
Gabon this week recalled its ambassador to Paris after France’s prime minister appeared to question the legitimacy of President Ali Bongo’s election in 2009, Reuters reports: The latest sign of… Read more »
Deriding support for democracy is counterproductive
It has become fashionable in some circles to pooh-pooh support for democracy, but Tunisia provides the Arab Spring’s “one encouraging success story”, even if its success is fragile, its economy… Read more »