Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday that U.S.-led interventions in the Middle East and Central Asia were not about spreading democracy, but about addressing regional security issues, Newsweek… Read more »
Democracies increasingly face a conundrum: how to counter violent extremism while maintaining democratic institutions and civil liberties, analysts suggest. Violent extremism is one of the principal challenges that emanate from… Read more »
Although democracy promotion may have fallen out of favor with the U.S. public [see poll data below], such efforts very much remain in the national interest, argues Larry Diamond, a… Read more »
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 »
It is up to the West’s democracies to stop another Grozny or Aleppo in Kiev, a leading Ukrainian activist said today. “People in Kyiv are ready to sacrifice their lives,”… Read more »
In the wake of the Afghanistan debacle, if democracies conclude military-backed liberal intervention in pursuit of democracy cannot work, will autocracies show the same self-restraint? The Guardian’s Patrick Wintour asks:… Read more »
The uprisings of the Arab Spring seemed to represent a dramatic turning point in history, the sudden collapse of regimes and political systems few expected to be so fragile. But… Read more »
The conditions that spurred the Arab uprisings, including government corruption, failed economies and deteriorating social services, have only intensified in many countries, exacerbated by 2020’s Covid-19 pandemic, notes analyst Megan O’Toole…. Read more »
In response to the many recent incidents of violence, civil society organisations and activists in Sudan have started a campaign under the name “Protect the right to live”, Dabanga reports. Dozens… Read more »
No historical rhythm guarantees that democracy is just around the corner in China or Russia or anywhere else, argues Michael Kimmage, Professor of History at The Catholic University of America…. Read more »