Category: Democratic institutions

Hong Kong protests: Is Beijing ready to step in?

     

As tension rises between Hong Kong’s police and student activists barricaded inside university campuses, Chinese President Xi Jinping has reiterated mainland support for Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, saying… Read more »

Turkey’s ‘soft dictatorship’: How to combat Erdogan’s illiberal populism

     

Istanbul’s new mayor says his election victory against Turkey‘s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party carries an important lesson for the world’s populist leaders: Act against the will of the people… Read more »

‘Underestimating democracy’ invites demagoguery, says Walesa

     

Authoritarians are resurgent because of the failure to create a new global system of democratic values, said former Solidarnosc leader and Polish president Lech Walesa. “Polish democracy in practical terms… Read more »

Countering kleptocracy – from the inside out

     

The toxic relationship between the Russian and British elites is something that needs full exposure. They have been collaborating to their mutual enrichment, and to the detriment of democracy and… Read more »

Ideological ‘grievance state’: Five Faces of Russia’s Soft Power

     

Russia’s human rights situation is getting worse with each passing year, says Tatanya Lokshina of Human Rights Watch. The regime routinely “messes up” because it has destroyed almost all feedback… Read more »

Despotic Data: Autocrats winning online fight of open vs. closed societies?

     

A critical differentiator between traditional media and social media is how ‘targetcasting‘ is available only to a specific audience. Such secret targeting tears at the fabric of democracy, says Tom Wheeler, a… Read more »

Arab democrats need ‘realistic pathways for change’

     

As a fresh wave of protests generates speculation about an Arab Spring 2.0, the challenge for MENA democrats is to move beyond calls for regime change and focus on building… Read more »

Shining light on ‘an existential moment’ for Asian democracies

     

Asian democracy is facing a “dystopian future” as scaling back in U.S. engagement and leadership is empowering forces that undermine democratic norms and processes. The warning came as Asian democracy… Read more »

Defending Democracy: Lessons for renewal?

     

In the face of democratic erosion and decay, do other countries’ experiences offer lessons on securing a route to democratic renewal? Defending Democracy: Lessons from Around the World is a… Read more »

How to Make Democracies Resilient

     

  The spread of illiberal and autocratic tendencies challenges Europe’s democracies, the V-Dem Institute observes. While in some European countries democratic institutions are already eroding, illiberal political parties are on… Read more »