Nicaragua moved closer to one-party rule late last month, when the country’s Supreme Electoral Council unseated 28 opposition lawmakers and substitute lawmakers in the National Assembly, effectively handing full control… Read more »
In Crimea, eastern Ukraine and now Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin has flaunted a modernized and more muscular military, The New York Times reports: But he lacks the economic strength… Read more »
We are approaching another “end of history” moment – but with a difference, argues John Naughton, professor of the public understanding of technology at the Open University. In his… Read more »
After simmering for nine months, the tension between Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party and the country’s highest court, the Constitutional Tribunal, is coming to a boil, says R…. Read more »
North Korea’s neighbors, the Chinese, have never expected the DPRK to surrender or collapse, and so far they have been correct, notes Columbia University’s Andrew J. Nathan. At home, the… Read more »
Even if symbolic, the mere rebranding of the militant organization Nusra Front could be enough to prolong Syria’s civil war, according to Colin P. Clarke and Chad C. Serena, political… Read more »
There is a broad consensus that the Saudi ideological juggernaut has disrupted local Islamic traditions in dozens of countries — the result of lavish spending on religious outreach for half… Read more »
Journalists in Iran are sounding the alarm over a government-drafted media regulation bill that is expected to be sent to the parliament for approval soon, after a two-year delay. The… Read more »
During Vladimir Putin’s tenure, some form of political upheaval has always seemed to precede elections to the State Duma, writes The Power Vertical’s Brian Whitmore: This year’s elections are no exception…. Read more »
The European Union expects candidate countries to be democracies governed by the rule of law, notes the V-Dem Liberal Democracy Index: Despite some temporary reversals, all countries generally made… Read more »