In a compelling lecture on “the populist challenge to liberal democracy,” Brookings Institution scholar William A. Galston talked about the need to “forget about economic aggregates and focus on inclusive… Read more »
A year after Fidel Castro’s death, some wonder whether his brother Raúl is willing to leave power on February 24, 2018—as he promised in 2013, Newsweek reports: Castro has worked to… Read more »
When it comes to the Middle East these days, the buzzword in the international community is “stabilization,” as opposed to “transition,” notes Asli Aydintasbas, a senior fellow at the European… Read more »
The European Union will spend €1.1 million on training diplomats to monitor fake news, amid growing alarm on Russian propaganda, EUobserver reports: The funds, as well as related measures… Read more »
Targeted, personal sanctions aimed at oligarchs create a genuine problem for Vladimir Putin’s hold on power, notes analyst Natalie Nougayrède. Russia is an authoritarian kleptocracy. The elite’s loyalty to the… Read more »
Academic and policy communities have often focused their attention on the causes of democratic backsliding at the expense of understanding the process. But far less attention has been paid to the sequencing,… Read more »
The recent history of Venezuela shows that neither domestic opposition nor the international community are always able to push back on the retreat from democracy, according to Geoffrey Macdonald, the… Read more »
To the detriment of U.S. foreign policy, gaps in anti-money laundering regulations have enabled kleptocracy and in turn, strengthened authoritarianism, state failure, civil unrest, and social degradation across the world, notes… Read more »
A recent speech by George W. Bush made headlines showed an understanding of the grave stakes that challenge the United States and other Western democracies, liberal commentator Michael Tomasky writes for the… Read more »
A revolutionary anti-colonial leader who held power for almost four decades. A government rife with nepotism and corruption. A people beset by poverty. Hope for a democratic transition, but far more… Read more »