Strategic priorities for advancing democracy
Democracy today is being challenged as never before since the end of the Cold War, says Carl Gershman, President of the National Endowment for Democracy. The crisis has many dimensions,… Read more »
Why promoting democracy is good for national security
What is the connection between America’s security and the state of democracy in the world? At a recent conference at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC… Read more »
The not-so-shocking death of Kim Jong Nam
The death in Malaysia of Kim Jong Nam, the eldest son of former North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il, was shocking on its surface. But despite the brutal and spy-thriller… Read more »
Russia: poor partner for a ‘grand bargain’
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 »
Top diplomat to accept democracy group award in Cuba
A prominent diplomat is planning a politically sensitive trip to Cuba to accept an award from a pro-democracy group on the island, AP reports: Luis Almagro (above right), secretary general of… Read more »
Counter-ISIS plus vs. jihadists’ ‘war of attrition’?
Al Qaeda and the Islamic State could reconcile their differences to present a different but persistent security challenge to the United States for the foreseeable future, experts in counterterrorism told… Read more »
Rights groups anxious as Saudi activist summoned for interrogation
Saudi women’s rights activist Samar Badawi has been summoned for interrogation, according to reports: In January 2016, Badawi faced charges of “incit[ing] public opinion against the state” for speaking out… Read more »
Beware wolves in populist clothing
Nationalists versus globalists. Traditionalists versus multiculturalists. The “left behind” versus the elites. If the world’s populists are to be believed, these binary battle lines — ideological boundaries as clear as those… Read more »
Democracy and Human Rights: The Case for U.S. Leadership
U.S. Senate Hearing. Thursday, February 16, 2017. Panel One Mr. Carl Gershman, President, National Endowment for Democracy (left) The Honorable Mark Green, President, International Republican Institute Mr. Kenneth Wollack, President, National Democratic Institute Panel… Read more »
Balkans crisis looming?
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 »