Does ‘democracy aid’ really promote democracy?
Does democracy assistance really help advance democracy? And, if so, what forms of aid are most effective? Employing the Varieties of Democracy Index, and OECD/DAC aid data from all donors… Read more »
Search Results for: backsliding
Is Tunisia’s democracy being destroyed?
Tunisia’s tragic descent from Arab Spring democracy into dictatorship is continuing with the arrest and detention of Rached Ghannouchi, the world’s most important Islamic democrat and the spiritual leader of… Read more »
Venezuela’s autocracy rising: How Maduro survived
In spite of sanctions, international isolation and protests, Nicolás Maduro’s authoritarian regime in Venezuela has managed to stay in power and make diplomatic gains, notes analyst Will Freeman. Maduro has… Read more »
Russia still seeks a ‘Chechen solution’ for Ukraine
Moscow’s aim in Ukraine continues to be that of “eliminating anti-Russian elements” and eventually imposing a “Chechen solution” on the country, a former Russian colleague tells Nathalie Tocci, Director of… Read more »
A turning point in ‘the defining challenge of our age’?
President Joseph Biden used the occasion of this week’s Summit for Democracy to announce a plan to spend an additional $690 million on his Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal, an… Read more »
Democratic renewal – reasons to be hopeful
President Joe Biden will convene world leaders beginning on March 29, 2023, for the Summit for Democracy, a virtual event being touted as an opportunity to “reflect, listen and learn” with… Read more »
How Venezuela reinvented & transitioned to authoritarianism
How Nicolás Maduro reinvented authoritarianism for the twenty-first century is the subject of a new book from Amherst College professor Javier Corrales. In Autocracy Rising, he explains why and how… Read more »
The Russian factor in African democracies’ alarming regression
Africa is grappling with democratic backsliding, according to recent studies. In 1985 there were only three democracies while there were 42 authoritarian regimes on the continent. By 2015, the number… Read more »
Can we harness digitalization for democracy?
Against the backdrop of a global democratic recession, officials on nearly every continent are integrating advanced digital tools into municipal governance through “smart city” projects, the International Forum for Democratic… Read more »
Illiberal democracies’ ‘chilling lesson’ for Israel
The weakening of Israel as a bastion of democracy in the Middle East is not in the interests of the western world, and could possibly become a danger to the… Read more »