China’s secret ‘magic weapon’ for global soft power
Xi Jinping is quietly ramping up the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist party in a push for global “soft power”, The FT’s James Kynge writes in a… Read more »
Search Results for: architecture of democracy
Values have power
Isaiah Berlin reminded us of a truth about liberal democracy of which the Founding Fathers, they of our checks and balances, were mindful, notes analyst Roger Cohen: “The best that… Read more »
Helmut Kohl’s lessons for the West
Former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl will be remembered by many as a giant of epochal times that remade Europe’s political architecture, dismantled the minefields and watchtowers of the Iron Curtain… Read more »
Russia’s ‘surreal’ protests show fraying of social contract
The latest wave of protests in Russia is too diverse and divergent to be unified by a single political leader, platform, or slogan—though there is one motto that people… Read more »
Zbigniew Brzezinski’s legacy: defend liberal world order
Former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski was one of the strongest exponents of the “liberal international order,” notes The Washington Post’s David Ignatius: Brzezinski, who died Friday, devoted most of his… Read more »
The message NATO needs to hear
With Russia engaged in political warfare against Western democracies and the liberal world order itself under threat, the forthcoming NATO summit needs to hear a ringing affirmation of democratic values,… Read more »
Mideast sectarianism a byproduct of geopolitical rivalry
During his speech in Saudi Arabia, President Donald Trump spoke of the need to confront and “isolate” Iran. But the Iran challenge is more intricate and perplexing than the one faced… Read more »
Authoritarians mobilizing illiberal non-state actors against democratic forces
Authoritarian regimes are mobilizing and orchestrating ‘uncivil’ society groups and illiberal non-state actors against democratic forces, reports suggest. The uniformed men who shot Venezuelan pro-democracy demonstrator Carlos Moreno were not… Read more »
‘Hegemonic transition’? China stakes claim for globalism without liberalism
Hun Sen, Cambodia’s prime minister of 32 years’ standing, has experienced the benevolent embrace of both the west and China. But there is no doubt over Mr Hun Sen’s preferred… Read more »
Authoritarian soft power not drawing many converts
When the Philippines’ tough-guy President Rodrigo Duterte announced in Beijing last week that “America has lost” and that he was “separating” from the United States to align with a rising… Read more »