Hong Kong: ‘the China model is cracking’
China’s President Xi Jinping and his comrades have been weathering a political storm, with the growing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong adding to pressure on a regime already locked in… Read more »
Category: Democracy and foreign policy
Existential threat? Iran and opposition ‘locked in lopsided confrontation’
At a time of rising tensions between the United States and Iran, various opposition factions within the Iran diaspora are competing to position themselves as a credible alternative to the… Read more »
Will the EU be a player or a playground? Solidarity of democratic West ‘matters as much as ever’
Today, the cohesion of the West matters as much as ever in the face of a newly assertive Russia and China, argues David Reynolds, professor of international history at the… Read more »
Meeting global challenges requires profound renovation to democracy support
The decline of U.S. leadership represents a hard blow to democracy support efforts, but it does not signal their demise, argues Thomas Carothers, a leading authority on international support for… Read more »
How China’s ‘malign influence’ is corroding democracies
The primaries for Taiwan’s forthcoming presidential election are highlighting fears over China’s political influence. Pro-Beijing media are being credited with populist Han Kuo-Yu’s victory to lead the opposition, The Financial… Read more »
Democratic renewal can counter ‘Ill Winds’ of autocracy and complacency
Larry Diamond has spent 40 years circumnavigating the globe promoting democracy in Nigeria, Venezuela and some 70 other countries. Yet today he is aghast, notes Gary J. Bass, a professor… Read more »
Democracy demotion? How to restore the freedom agenda
The United States stands at a precipice, facing a time when freedom and democracy will be tested. It remains, within the world’s vast web of alliances and organizations, the indispensable… Read more »
Foreboding historical rhymes from clever autocracies
It is not cost-free to lead an international community of democracies whose military, economic and political resources, if nurtured and leveraged effectively, will remain unmatched. This necessitates stronger foreign assistance,… Read more »
Anti-hypocrisy rhetoric weaponized to attack postwar liberal order
The only way for the European Union to survive as a liberal actor in an increasingly illiberal environment is by transforming itself from a missionary who wants to shape the… Read more »
From democracy promotion to democracy attraction?
While democracy remains a popular aspiration around the world, “attraction” will prove more effective than “promotion” as a way to help democracy expand, says a leading analyst. A new study… Read more »