East Timor is voting for a new president in an election that will test Asia‘s newest and poorest nation, VOA reports. Meanwhile, Cambodia’s ongoing crackdown against opposition politicians and… Read more »
For civic activism, it appears to be both the best and worst of times, argues analyst Richard Youngs. The positive dynamics of empowerment and the negative trend of constraints on… Read more »
Struggling to adapt to the digital media eco-system, The New York Times is embarking on an ambitious plan inspired by the strategies of Netflix, Spotify, and HBO, WIRED magazine reports:… Read more »
The U.S. is threatening to withdraw from the controversial U.N. Human Rights Council if it does not undertake “considerable reform,” Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned a group of nine… Read more »
A healthy and functioning civil society is vital for human rights and democracy everywhere, the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission writes: Civil society organizations (CSOs) play a crucial role in… Read more »
Deep political divides have prevented Nepal from implementing a new constitution that paves the way for elections, but the first local elections in two decades will be held in May,… Read more »
The west looks fragile but Putin’s Russia may be unable to step up to a leading global role, The Financial Times suggests: Putin has “staked out a position that thrives… Read more »
Southern Europe is where democracy was once invented. But today, many there say that democracy isn’t working for them, analyst Rick Noack writes for The Washington Post: There is no shortage… Read more »
Pakistan, often in the headlines for terrorism, coups and poverty, has developed something else in recent years: a burgeoning middle class that is fueling economic growth and bolstering a fragile… Read more »
While the resurgent authoritarians of Russia and China are investing in the expansion of soft power, that of the Western democracies is dwindling, analysts suggest. The European Union’s approach to… Read more »