Category: Russia

Will a comic actor become Ukraine’s next President?

     

It seems that, on March 31, Ukraine once again received a chance to accelerate its transformation, notes Brookings analyst Sergey Aleksashenko. Ukraine hosted the first round of presidential elections, with 39… Read more »

Ukraine: from ‘oligarchic pluralism’ to real democracy?

     

A comedian and political newcomer has won (HT: Foreign Policy) the first round of Ukraine’s presidential elections. Volodymyr Zelensky, a comedian who portrayed himself as a fresh face who would… Read more »

Exporting Putinism?

     

  Russia’s “appeal as an opponent of regime change and supporter of existing governments endears it to all governments in the area, authoritarian and democratic,” Georgetown University’s Angela Stent writes… Read more »

New digital social contract: how to combat next disinformation campaign

     

Russia, China, Iran and other countries remain interested in influencing U.S. policy, and elections are a top target, The Washington Post reports. “We’re much better prepared in that we’re aware… Read more »

Main threat to liberal democracy ‘comes from within’?

     

Just as optimism over communism’s collapse and liberal democracy’s triumph masked underlying realities, so does Robert Kagan’s pessimism that strongmen are striking back warp understanding, argues Sheri Berman, a professor of political… Read more »

Demotion, dilution, delay & diversion: strengthening digital resilience

     

Whatever the domestic repercussions of Robert S. Mueller III’s report, Moscow will likely continue its campaign of disinformation and disruption against American democracy, a prominent analyst tells the New York Times: Aleksandr… Read more »

Putin’s all-powerful ‘power vertical’ is a ‘myth’?

     

The gulf between what President Vladimir V. Putin says and what happens in Russia raises a fundamental question about the nature of his rule after more than 18 years at… Read more »

Will China’s plan for global supremacy spark a new Cold War? Not quite

     

Institutions of higher learning around the world should resist the Chinese government’s efforts to undermine academic freedom abroad, Human Rights Watch said today. On March 21, 2019, Human Rights Watch published a… Read more »

Building democratic resilience against disinformation and populism

     

Building democratic resilience against disinformation and populism requires additional awareness from policy makers, according to a new report. The impact of disinformation and strategic political propaganda disseminated through online social… Read more »

Democracies risk fraudulent news and disinformation becoming ‘new normal’ 

     

Democracies risk fraudulent news and online disinformation becoming a normalized part of political discourse, a new report warns. PEN America today released Truth on the Ballot: Fraudulent News, the Midterm Elections,… Read more »