Category: Civil Society

UN, EU highlight Russia’s breaches of human rights, democracy & rule of law

     

The UN General Assembly will consider a draft resolution on protection of human rights in the occupied Crimea, according to a tweet by Ukraine’s Mission in the UN. “December 18, UNGA to consider a… Read more »

Conspiracy theories as counter-narratives: Should democracies adapt to disinformation?

     

A Russian-linked operation aimed at dividing Western allies spread disinformation on social media for three years, according to a new analysis, Bloomberg reports: Hundreds of accounts on multiple internet platforms… Read more »

China ‘can’t hide’ Uighur plight after Arsenal’s Mesut Özil calls for solidarity

     

US secretary of state Mike Pompeo on Tuesday came out in support of Arsenal player Mesut Özil for his criticism of China’s treatment of ethnic Uighur Muslims, saying Beijing can censor… Read more »

Exposing the ‘dark reality’ behind Cuba’s medical missions

     

  The U.S. says it is pressuring Cuba to end human rights violations such as harassment of opponents of Cuba’s one party system. It also wants Havana to stop supporting… Read more »

Iran’s totalitarianism, weak civil society could prompt ‘social explosion’

     

Prominent Iranian artists, inside and outside the country, have reacted to the brutal crackdown of recent protests in Iran, The Independent reports (HT:FDD). Amnesty International says Iranian authorities are continuing… Read more »

Mobilizing for democracy? Five myths about protest movements

     

Lebanese security forces fired tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons Sunday to disperse hundreds of protesters for a second straight day, ending what started as a peaceful rally in… Read more »

Why China’s TikTok is a national security concern

     

TikTok, the short-form video app that’s been downloaded 1.5 billion times, is one of the most exciting and goofiest places on the internet, and possibly the only truly fun social… Read more »

What went wrong in Central and Eastern Europe? A case for ‘pessoptimism’

     

There’s has been extensive and ongoing debate about “what went wrong in Central and Eastern Europe” and what explains its various forms of illiberalism and democratic decline. A variety of,… Read more »

The False Romance of Russia: Competing in the Gray Zone

     

Russia has been aiming to destabilize both its “near abroad” — the former Soviet states except for the Baltics — and wider Europe through the use of ambiguous “gray zone”… Read more »

Cybersecurity for civil society vs the ‘democratization of misinformation’

     

China and Russia are increasingly collaborating and engage in mutual learning when it comes to disinformation strategies, says analyst Jane Li. But the sentiment among China’s internet users is that… Read more »