European leaders like to claim they care about democracy. But too often, their policies ignore it — damaging Europe’s own interests in the process, argue AEI analysts Dalibor Rohac and Ivana Stradner…. Read more »
In the 20th century democracies were defined by freedom of expression, pluralism and the metaphor of a ‘marketplace of ideas’, and authoritarian regimes by censorship and state media control, the… Read more »
The relationship between liberalism and democracy, generally compatible but occasionally tense, is becoming more fraught at both domestic and international levels, observers suggest. The dispute over the rule of law… Read more »
The election of the pro-Western politician Maia Sandu as Moldova’s next president shows that Russia’s Vladimir Putin is losing his grip over Russia’s near abroad, analysts contend. Monica Macovei,… Read more »
Ukraine’s oligarchic forces continue to push back against the reform efforts that have dominated the political agenda since 2014, notes Serhiy Verlanov, the former Head of Ukraine’s State Tax Service…. Read more »
In 2014 Ukrainians got so fed up with the grotesque corruption of their political class that they staged a revolution, The Economist reports. Since then, reformers have been trying to… Read more »
Hungary will veto the European Union’s 2021-27 budget and its COVID recovery scheme if access to funds is made conditional on governments’ adherence to the rule of law, a move… Read more »
After weeks of watching massive peaceful demonstrations against neighboring Belarus’s authoritarian regime, Poles have finally taken to the streets to confront their own illiberal government, says Sławomir Sierakowski, founder… Read more »
Thousands of opposition supporters took to the streets of Georgia’s capital Tbilisi on Sunday to demand snap polls after the ruling Georgian Dream party claimed victory in a parliamentary vote,… Read more »
This weekend’s election in Georgia is seen as a litmus test of legitimacy for the ruling Georgian Dream Party (GD) and as a referendum on party leader Bidzina Ivanishvili’s oligarchic… Read more »