China losing soft power edge ahead of G20 summit
Until late last month Xi Jinping was looking forward to easy “soft power” victories at this week’s meetings with Angela Merkel in Berlin and the G20 summit in Hamburg… Read more »
Search Results for: development democracy
Russia’s ‘unstoppable desire for change’
Russia’s future looks bleak without economic and political reform, notes Kenneth Rogoff, professor of economics and public policy at Harvard University and recipient of the 2011 Deutsche Bank Prize in… Read more »
Why governments are cracking down on civil society
Why are some governments cracking down on civil society or nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)? By our count, 39 of the world’s 153 low- and middle-income countries enacted restrictive funding laws between 1993 and… Read more »
Silent coup? Zimbabwe’s military ‘calling the shots’
Zimbabwe’s military has effectively assumed political power in a silent coup d’état, a leading politician claimed today. ZANU-PF politicians continue to occupy the physical state offices but the military has… Read more »
Iraqi Kurdistan: Civil Society at the Crossroads
In 2005, Iraq’s Constitution recognized an autonomous Kurdistan region in the north of the country, run by the Kurdistan Regional Government. Today, with a referendum on independence in speculation for… Read more »
How Africa’s unions enhance democratization
Trade unions in Africa contribute to democratization by acting as instruments of political socialization for their members, according to new research. Survey data from 22,000 respondents in 18 African countries… Read more »
Zimbabwe in Transition: Reform and Reconstruction
> A 2015 Contingency Planning Memorandum, “Political Instability in Zimbabwe,” highlighted the potential for violence in connection with leadership succession. And there are at least five areas of concern as… Read more »
Time to counter China’s ‘soft power’ influence ops
The Chinese Communist Party’s covert campaign of influence in Australia, exposed in a series of articles and “Power and Influence,” (above) set off a domestic debate about just how wary… Read more »
Foreign aid’s soft power ‘will send ISIS to same grave as communism’?
Foreign assistance is an essential asset in addressing such vital national security interests as countering violent extremism, argues former US Senator Kelly Ayotte. Democracy assistance programs supported by the State… Read more »
Kremlin stoking illiberalism in Western Balkans?
Recent political developments in the Western Balkans have led the European Union to re-focus its attention on the region, notes analyst Tzveta Dryanovska. Countries in southeastern Europe have been struggling… Read more »