Why can’t Ukraine establish the rule of law?
Why is Ukraine having so much trouble establishing a state governed by the rule of law? According to analyst Susan Stewart, maintaining a legal vacuum obviously serves the interests of… Read more »
Category: Authoritarianism
Russia’s Bad Example
For decades Russia remained a country without an ideology to export. Now Putin’s Russia has realized that it can capitalize on its foreign policy goals of sowing democratic… Read more »
UN concerned over crackdown in Egypt’s ‘republic of dread’
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression today voiced his concerns regarding the state of freedom of expression… Read more »
Palestinian teachers’ protest ‘revitalizing’ democracy, exposing PA corruption
One of the largest protests the West Bank has seen in recent years is not aimed against the Israeli occupation, but to deliver a message to the Palestinian Authority, Al… Read more »
Obama’s Cuba trip: ‘misguided’ or ‘subversive’?
President Obama’s forthcoming trip to Cuba continues to divide analysts and democracy advocates. A successful trip could vindicate the decision by Mr. Obama and President Raúl Castro of Cuba to pursue an official thaw, broadcasting… Read more »
Market-Leninism: capitalism with Communist characteristics?
It would be a serious mistake to assume that Cuba’s economic opening, advanced by the Obama-initiated rapprochement, will necessarily usher in a new political era in Cuba, argues Brahma Chellaney,… Read more »
Russia’s persecuted opposition continues struggle for human rights
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s high popularity rating masks the actual “fragility” of his hold on power, said Paula Dobriansky, who served as U.S. Under Secretary of State for Democracy and… Read more »
Russia’s current conflicts reopen battles over past
Secrets were forbidden in camp Perm-36. Guards searched everywhere for them, even in prisoners’ eyes, ears and teeth, notes analyst Francesca Ebel. Ukrainian poet Vasyl Stus, imprisoned in the Soviet… Read more »
Iran’s election wasn’t about moderation or democracy
The elections in Iran confirm that the Syrian crisis has taught Iranians who are otherwise eager for change a few lessons, Harvard University researcher Amir Mahdavi writes for The Washington… Read more »
Labor unrest surges in China
China’s ruling Communist Party is facing an upsurge in labor militancy and social unrest, notes China Digital Times: Amid an economic downturn and a plan to streamline the state-owned sector, the Chinese… Read more »