Category: Democracy Assistance and Promotion

27 years after Tiananmen, an opportunity for a political opening

     

Tens of thousands of people gathered in a Hong Kong park on Saturday evening to do what people across the border in mainland China could not: commemorate the anniversary of… Read more »

‘Time is running out’ for Tunisia

     

  The United States and Europe must engage in a joint transatlantic approach to support Tunisia’s democratization, says a new report. They should work to avoid duplication of assistance efforts… Read more »

Why public opinion matters for movement organizing

     

Although public opinion research can make a valuable contribution to movement organizing, it is a relatively untested technique in many new and emerging democracies, notes Lauren Kitz, a Program Officer… Read more »

A new breed of Cuban dissident

     

  For most of his career as a Cuban dissident leader, through his 2003 arrest and seven years as a political prisoner, José Daniel Ferrer was repeatedly pressed by the Cuban government… Read more »

How to reverse the extremist tide

     

Something great is afoot in Tunisia. Last weekend, the once-Islamist Ennahda party officially declared that it will separate its religious activities from its political ones, notes Maajid Nawaz, co-founder and chairman… Read more »

O.A.S. rebuke cites threats to Venezuela’s democracy

     

The Organization of American States said Tuesday that it had begun taking steps against Venezuela to defend democracy in the region, a rare rebuke once reserved for countries undergoing crises like coups…. Read more »

Reversing democracy’s retreat? Reasons to be hopeful

     

Democracy is being challenged today as never before since the end of the Cold War, notes Carl Gershman, president of the National Endowment for Democracy. Freedom House has recorded ten consecutive years… Read more »

The truth about populism and foreign policy

     

Last week in Foreign Affairs, Richard Fontaine and Robert D. Kaplan analyzed the impact of this year’s campaign populism on U.S. foreign policy, notes Council on Foreign Relations analyst Stephen Sestanovich. Domestic… Read more »

Ukraine’s former leader ‘paid bribes of $2 billion’ – $1.4 million for each day in office

     

  Ukraine’s former president paid bribes worth at least $2 billion (£1.4 billion) during his four years in office – amounting to almost $1.4 million for every day he was… Read more »

Setting a precedent? Habré trial a model for international justice

     

Former Chadian dictator Hissène Habré has been found guilty by a Dakar court of crimes against humanity, rape, and sexual slavery. Habré’s trial marked the first of an ex-leader by… Read more »