Russia’s New Ideocracy vs. liberal democracy
“Putinism” has long been a hot topic in the West, where the term – describing the policies and practices of Russian President Vladimir Putin – is generally met with… Read more »
Category: Dictatorships
Democracy under threat in post-Wall Europe: Spirit of 1989 fighting back
The west’s mistake after 1989 was not that we celebrated what happened in central Europe – and subsequently in the Baltic republics and the former Soviet Union – as a… Read more »
Democracies vs. dictatorships: A grand strategy
While no country gets a perfect score on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), the top performing countries tend to be healthy democracies. The state of democracy in a country indicates… Read more »
‘Brazil Apart’: Who ended ‘false starts’ to democratization?
The election of leftist Alberto Fernández in Argentina could strain relations with Brazil—the other largest member of the Mercosur trade bloc, which recently struck a free-trade deal with the European… Read more »
Time to recognize the ‘new faces of Iranian protest’
The Islamic Republic of Iran has come under fierce criticism amid reports that the judiciary amputated a man’s fingers for theft in the latest in a series of incidents… Read more »
Beijing’s assertiveness betrays its desperation: CCP ‘might collapse’?
China’s ruling Communist Party is holding a key meeting this week amid a drastically slowing economy, ongoing protests in Hong Kong and pushback abroad against Beijing’s global ambitions, AP reports;… Read more »
Cubazuela: A strategic occupation with global implications
Hundreds of representatives from governments, agencies and charity groups are gathering in Brussels for a “solidarity conference” to drum up support for millions of Venezuelans who have fled the political… Read more »
Liberal democracy ‘alien to human nature’? Intense battle for political minds and souls
A dramatic debate between US strategist Stephen Bannon and French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy* at the Athens Democracy Forum, illustrated the intensity of the battle for political minds and souls, The… Read more »
Demolishing Faith: China sharpens hacking to hound minorities, home and abroad
China’s hackers have since built up a new arsenal of techniques, such as elaborate hacks of iPhone and Android software, pushing them beyond email attacks and the other, more basic… Read more »
Budding social activism, legitimacy crises feed Central Asia’s dramatic transformation
Central Asia is undergoing a dramatic transformation. Its governments face legitimacy crises at a time when long-standing leaders are being replaced by little-known, untested ones. Social contracts, by which citizens… Read more »