Cuba ‘open for business’, closed to dissent
Cuba may be open for business, but it remains closed to dissent, according to a retired career American diplomat. “Despite President Obama’s best intentions, no improvement on the human rights… Read more »
Category: freedom of association
Global downturn in civil and political rights – key implications
There is a downturn in civil and political rights in many of the world’s largest and most geopolitically significant countries, especially Russia, China, and Turkey, but also other countries such… Read more »
Activist ban highlights ‘existential threat’ to Egypt’s civil society
An Egyptian activist was prevented from flying to Beirut for a women’s rights conference on Monday after passport control officials told her she was banned from traveling, Reuters reports:… Read more »
The populist perils of illiberal paeans
Modern democracies operate within a framework of rationalism. Dismantle it and the space is filled by prejudice. Fear counts above reason; anger above evidence. Lies claim equal status with facts,… Read more »
North Korean workers protest
….. in Kuwait. North Korea has summoned dozens of workers from the Gulf state for staging a mass strike in protest at their working conditions, reports suggest: According to Radio Free Asia,… Read more »
Kazakhstan’s ‘economy first, politics later’ philosophy under strain
Kazakhstan is not a country accustomed to political instability. Nursultan Nazarbayev has enjoyed a quarter century as president of the central Asian nation on the back of rising oil… Read more »
China’s future: Xi’s ‘great rejuvenation’ is radical and risky
“China is simply not turning out as many had expected and have worked so long and hard to realize — a liberal China,” notes David Shambaugh, a professor of political… Read more »
Obama chides Vietnam on political freedoms
U.S. President Barack Obama chided Vietnam on political freedoms on Tuesday after critics of the communist-run government were prevented from meeting him in Hanoi, a discordant note on a… Read more »
US-Cuba rapprochement benefits regime, not people
The rapprochement between the United States and Cuba – one of the world’s most authoritarian tourist destinations – will benefit the Cuban people little and its fruits will not reach… Read more »
Russia: ‘Foreign Agents’: Mythical Enemies and Society’s Real Losses
A leading U.S. Senator is expressing concern over threats to Russia’s civil society, including independent citizen election monitoring group Golos, ahead of Russia’s September 2016 parliamentary elections. “I am deeply concerned… Read more »