Category: Asia

China’s surveillance state spreads from Uyghurs to Central Asia

     

China’s advanced surveillance regime is taking root along the length of the Belt and Road—especially the Belt, the overland Eurasian routes that were the origin of the government’s ambitious investment… Read more »

Hong Kong protests: Is Beijing ready to step in?

     

As tension rises between Hong Kong’s police and student activists barricaded inside university campuses, Chinese President Xi Jinping has reiterated mainland support for Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, saying… Read more »

Shining light on ‘an existential moment’ for Asian democracies

     

Asian democracy is facing a “dystopian future” as scaling back in U.S. engagement and leadership is empowering forces that undermine democratic norms and processes. The warning came as Asian democracy… Read more »

Countering Truth Decay: Digital tech leaves democracy in ‘permanent flux’

     

Hillary Clinton says she’s “dumbfounded” that the U.K. government has failed to release a report on Russian influence in British politics before the country holds a national election next month…. Read more »

A new infrastructure of democracy? Open societies’ resilience is strategic priority

     

Had Ronald Reagan’s Westminster speech merely articulated the case for democracy, it would be remembered as one of many well-written and inspiring presidential addresses. It was, on the contrary, much… Read more »

National security still tied to fate of freedom, democratic solidarity

     

  Today, sophisticates on both the political Left and Right argue that the United States has no business supporting the democratic aspirations of the Venezuelan people, or that Iraqis were… Read more »

Autocratic resurgence ‘spells end to West’s global supremacy’?

     

More countries declined than improved in overall rule of law performance for the second year in a row, continuing a negative slide toward weaker rule of law around the world,… Read more »

Mapping digital disinformation

     

If digital platforms are the “new battleground” for democracy, as the new  2019 “Freedom on the Net” report from Freedom House suggests, the experience of Pakistan demonstrates the challenges of… Read more »

Gautam Adhikari, R.I.P.

     

Democracy advocates are mourning the loss of veteran journalist and analyst Gautam Adhikari, who died in Washington, D.C., this week, the Times of India reports. The former Times of India… Read more »

‘Trojan horse for tyranny’: Disinformation boosting digital authoritarianism

     

Digital platforms have emerged as the “new battleground” for democracy, with disinformation the most commonly used tactic to undermine elections, according to a leading watchdog. “Populists and far-right leaders have… Read more »