Category: Democracy and security

Funding Mideast democracy in the face of authoritarian pushback

     

The U.S. Congress has taken note of the dexterity and flexibility of non-governmental democracy assistance groups in responding to the more challenging environment in the Middle East, says a report… Read more »

Mapping Pakistan’s Internal Dynamics

     

Pakistan poses one of the world’s most significant and vexing geopolitical challenges, as its geographic position at the nexus of the Middle East and Asia, nuclear stockpile, and domestic extremist… Read more »

Is America so bad at promoting democracy?

     

If you’re a dedicated Wilsonian, the past quarter-century must have been pretty discouraging, argues Stephen M. Walt, the Robert and Renée Belfer professor of international relations at Harvard University. Convinced… Read more »

Chavista courts eroding Venezuela’s democracy

     

Venezuela’s courts — packed by leftist loyalists of Nicolás Maduro only days before they handed over power — have fiercely chipped away at the new legislature’s efforts, leaving some here wondering… Read more »

What’s next for Iraq?

     

  Iraq is facing a looming economic crisis, with a displaced population of 3.3m people, according to the UN, and renewed sectarian bloodshed which could fuel the very resentments that helped… Read more »

What are Khalilzad memoir’s lessons for U.S. policy?

     

Raymond Tanter, Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan, asks in The National Interest: First, regarding theory: recognize bureaucratic principles, as modified by recent research, which is quite critical of… Read more »

Video shows ‘Putin’s New Praetorians’ training to suppress a Moscow Maidan

     

On April 5, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia would develop a national guard to fight terrorism and crime, but a recently released video (above) from Open Russia purports to show the guard training to… Read more »

Iraq: authoritarian nostalgia or shift from sectarian politics?

     

  Secretary of State John Kerry made an unannounced visit to Baghdad on Friday, promising continuing American military and humanitarian aid in the fight against the Islamic State, and showing… Read more »

Venezuela’s failed state: is there light at the end of the tunnel?

     

“Widespread Blackouts Loom As Venezuela’s Dams Run out of Water” was the ominous headline from the PanAm Post on March 16. And even though the government blames El Niño, engineers apparently have… Read more »

West’s response to Ukraine conflict: a transatlantic success story

     

Transatlantic cooperation in dealing with Russian aggression in Ukraine has been a surprising success story, according to a new report. European countries and the United States, together with partners such… Read more »