Is democracy in its death throes? Declinism’s flaws and follies
A few years ago the US academic Larry Diamond declared that a “democratic recession” had set in after about 2006. The long global expansion of democracy that began with the… Read more »
Category: Democracy Assistance and Promotion
Armenia’s PM steps down in ‘victory for civil society’
Today the mood in Armenia is that of elation – many people are cheering and dancing to loud music in the streets of the capital, Yerevan, and around the country… Read more »
Diluting disinformation: ‘no quick fixes’
A new EU fake news initiative will recommend engaging with social media companies to agree and enforce a new code of practice on fake news or disinformation, reports suggest: The… Read more »
Muzzled Media: ‘perfect storm’ threatens press freedom
Independent media are facing a “perfect storm” of challenges, from capture by oligarchs to the emergence of “post-truth” politics, says Mark Nelson, director of the Center for International Media Assistance… Read more »
Protests ‘reveal desire for change’ in Nicaragua
Mass demonstrations in Nicaragua turned deadly when police opened fire on protesters, killing at least 25. The protests started on April 18 when the government sought to introduce social security… Read more »
Macron promotes ‘grand narratives’ for democratic renewal
Europe’s most dynamic political leader, Emmanuel Macron, pays a state visit to Washington this week. The French president has emerged as the West’s most formidable opponent of populist nationalism and… Read more »
Russian kleptocrats ‘fraught with anxieties’: why the latest sanctions will bite
The lives of Russian kleptocrats in Britain are suddenly fraught with new anxieties, the Washington Post reports: Critics in London of Russian President Vladimir Putin are reevaluating their need for… Read more »
Escaping the fragility trap: don’t rush democracy, coax it
Democracy should be coaxed, not rushed, Bloomberg suggests, citing a new report which argues that developed nations trying to help fragile states have been doing it wrong: They have pushed… Read more »
More Continuity than Change: Cuba’s ‘cosmetic’, ‘illegitimate’ dynastic succession
Miguel Diaz-Canel succeeded Raul Castro as Cuba’s president on Thursday, saying that there will be “no space for those who aspire for a restoration of capitalism, the LA Times reports… Read more »
USAID’s redesign: how do democracy, human rights, and governance (DRG) fit in?
How do democracy, human rights, and governance (DRG) fit in to the USAID’s new redesign? Brookings analyst George Ingram asks. The DRG center would be located in the new Bureau… Read more »