Islam and democracy after the Arab Spring
The authoritarian backlash in the Middle East, with the Arab Winter following the Arab Spring, is part of the… Read more »
Search Results for: Civil Society
Free speech ‘under siege’ in Vietnam
More than 100 Vietnamese – an unprecedented amount – tried to run in the May 22 election as independents, including activists bent on testing the party’s sincerity about fostering inclusiveness… Read more »
How EU can confront the ‘Copenhagen dilemma’
The European Union is founded on a set of common principles of democracy, the rule of law, and fundamental rights. But whereas candidate Member States are vetted for their… Read more »
Ukraine: reasons for pessimism – and cautious optimism
Time is up for Ukraine’s President to convince society, politicians, and Western partners that he’s prepared to fight corruption. Every day of delay proves the opposite. By not interfering, Poroshenko… Read more »
‘Surge of ideas’ can counter violent extremism
The government of Saudi Arabia paid “insufficient attention” to money that was being funneled into terror groups and fueled the rise of Al Qaeda, says President Barack Obama’s deputy national… Read more »
‘State capture’ best describes Ukraine’s political system
“Corruption” is an inadequate word to describe the condition of Ukraine. Since the country achieved independence in 1991, the problem is not that a well-functioning state has been corrupted by… Read more »
Recognizing and countering authoritarian resurgence
A new book is warning of an authoritarian surge around the world led by China, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela, who are using sophisticated methods to silence dissent and… Read more »
Isolation and propaganda: roots and instruments of Russia’s soft power
Russia’s fairly successful propaganda in the West shows that political pluralism and open societies have some significant vulnerabilities compared to authoritarian states, with regard to speed of decision-making and action,… Read more »
Corruption crisis highlights fragility or robustness of Brazil’s democracy?
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff’s government vowed on Monday to fight impeachment after the lower house of Congress delivered a humiliating defeat that paved the way for her likely removal from… Read more »
State Dept. report highlights ‘global governance crisis’
A crackdown on dissent by authoritarian governments last year contributed to a rising tide of human rights abuses that has allowed terrorist groups to flourish, according to the State Department’s annual human rights report… Read more »