Where every day is Kristallnacht
Eighty-one years ago this week, in what is also known as the “Night of Broken Glass,” hundreds of synagogues and Jewish cemeteries in Nazi Germany were damaged or destroyed,… Read more »
Category: Asia
Democracy without competition? The fall & rise of Cambodia’s opposition
Exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy said Thursday he was ready to go to jail or die for the cause of restoring democracy in Cambodia, vowing to return home on Nov…. Read more »
When foreign meddling backfires, can democrats advance?
The authoritarian resurgence threatens to bring back the great power competition that caused so much destruction during the first half of the 20th century, argues Mathew J. Burrows, director of… Read more »
Democracies vs. dictatorships: A grand strategy
While no country gets a perfect score on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), the top performing countries tend to be healthy democracies. The state of democracy in a country indicates… Read more »
Defending civic space: A strategic imperative for the international community
Civic space—the fundamental liberties that allow people to gather, communicate, and collectively engage in groups to influence society and politics—is the bedrock of any democracy. But it is increasingly vulnerable,… Read more »
Beijing’s assertiveness betrays its desperation: CCP ‘might collapse’?
China’s ruling Communist Party is holding a key meeting this week amid a drastically slowing economy, ongoing protests in Hong Kong and pushback abroad against Beijing’s global ambitions, AP reports;… Read more »
Explaining the global protest wave
Sixty-three people died over the weekend in a crackdown by security forces against ongoing anti-government protests [HT: CFR], according to the semi-official Iraq High Commission for Human Rights. Iraq is… Read more »
What drives democratization? Success of mass protests depends on who is protesting
Many observers fear that democracy is currently at risk, some blaming the less-educated working classes, supposedly more inclined to support authoritarian populist politicians and parties, for the democratic backlash. Political analysts… Read more »
Liberal democracy ‘alien to human nature’? Intense battle for political minds and souls
A dramatic debate between US strategist Stephen Bannon and French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy* at the Athens Democracy Forum, illustrated the intensity of the battle for political minds and souls, The… Read more »
Poverty & Freedom: Inequality feeding democracy’s susceptibilities to degeneration?
Enhancing global prosperity must begin with supporting locally-led initiatives that eliminate institutional barriers to freedom—and give citizens greater choice over their future, according to a new book. Governments and philanthropists… Read more »