Category: Democracy Assistance and Promotion

Defending liberal world order requires democratic renewal (and vice versa)

     

Václav Havel’s legacy is a vital moral and intellectual resource for confronting the authoritarian resurgence and for addressing the challenge of democratic renewal, a commemorative conference at the National Endowment… Read more »

Five ways China is more repressive

     

Respect for human-rights and rule of law have deteriorated markedly during the term of Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to a new U.S. government report, which blames an ideological tightening… Read more »

Moldova official says Kremlin meddling in presidential race

     

The speaker of Moldova’s parliament has accused Russia of meddling in the country’s politics ahead of a presidential election that could cement the former Soviet republic as a contender for… Read more »

Russia shows symptoms of old disease: totalitarianism

     

Long before the Russian state declared the Levada Center, Russia’s only reputable independent polling organization, to be a “foreign agent” in September, its director, Lev D. Gudkov (left), knew this… Read more »

Closing space and state fragility

     

Newfound modesty about Western interventionism does not just concern development assistance, but also democracy promotion and state-building, argues Ellen Laipson, president emeritus of the Stimson Center. “In policy discussions, one… Read more »

‘Disciplined democracy’ – Myanmar’s lessons for Cuba

     

In many ways, Cuba today resembles the Burma (Myanmar) of 10 years ago, argues Casey Cagley, Program Officer of the Latin America and Caribbean Division of the International Republican Institute…. Read more »

Election exposes Jordan’s enduring weaknesses

     

One of the most common claims I hear when asking Jordanians about elections is: “We are a tribal society, and tribalism will always dominate the elections,” notes Kristen Kao, a… Read more »

Zimbabwe pastor shows ‘Power in our Pockets’

     

When he posted a protest video on Facebook, wrapping himself in the national flag, the Rev. Evan Mawarire (below, right) became one of Zimbabwe’s first social media stars, the embodiment… Read more »

Azerbaijan: authoritarian constitutions send a signal

     

Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan’s president of 13 years, is often described as a “strongman” who enjoys near absolute power over the oil-rich nation on the Caspian Sea, The Financial Times reports:… Read more »