Community of Democracies needed now more than ever
When the Community of Democracies first gathered in Warsaw seventeen years ago, no one could be certain that the Community would continue for very long, let alone develop and… Read more »
Category: Arab Spring
How illiberals, uncivil society transition from protest to power
Civil society activists have often struggled to make the transition from protest to politics, to effect a shift from social movement to party in power. Illiberal and authoritarian movements –… Read more »
Security, Prosperity, and Governance in the Middle East and North Africa
While wars, terrorism, and rapidly changing economic conditions in the Middle East are in the headlines, the close links between these issues and governance challenges are increasingly relegated to the… Read more »
A realist case for advancing Arab democracy
Despite the reportedly path-breaking retreat from even the rhetoric of promoting democracy and human rights, there is a robust realist argument for advancing freedom in the Middle East, according to Elliott… Read more »
Kuwait: Democracy trumps reform?
Kuwait stands out from many other Arab states: it has a comparatively functional, stable, and peaceful system of parliamentary elections, including successful opposition candidates, a media environment freer than most,… Read more »
False Dawn? How (not) to advance Middle East democracy
Supporting indigenous democrats would be a more successful approach to promoting democracy in the Middle East than external intervention, especially militarized regime change, says a leading Arab democrat. “Foreign intervention… Read more »
The Power and Fragility of Networked Protest
Zeynep Tufekci’s Twitter and Tear Gas: The Power and Fragility of Networked Protest is a timely examination of the recent digital era of public protest. Moving through her analyses of the… Read more »
Expected decline in Arab democracy confirms unrealistic optimism
The shortcomings of democratization as a vehicle for regional reform and transformation are confirmed by the findings of the latest Arab Democracy Index, analysts suggest. The intra-Arab collaborative index is… Read more »
Disgust over corruption threatens Tunisia’s trajectory, MENA stability
Armed with banners, placards and cigarettes, dozens of protesters gathered in the Tunisian capital Tunis on Sunday for the first-ever demonstration of its kind – the right not to fast for Ramadan. Popular perceptions… Read more »
Rif protests: Morocco’s Bouazizi moment?
Morocco’s authorities have carried out a chilling wave of arrests rounding up scores of protesters, activists and bloggers in the Rif, northern Morocco, over the past week following months of… Read more »