Category: National Democratic Institute

Advancing democracy: What works and why?

     

“What factors and conditions should exist for local pro-democracy, human rights, and labor organizations  to effect positive change?” The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL)… Read more »

People, Processes and Politics: Countering violent extremism in fragile states

     

Radical Islamist extremist violence is wracking the fragile state of Burkina Faso and spreading east, The Washington Post reports: Nearly 1,000 civilians were killed in 2019 by local militias and… Read more »

Georgia’s status as post-Soviet democratic leader challenged

     

Georgia’s status as a post-Soviet democratic leader is under challenge, according to analysts Denis Corboy, William Courtney, Kenneth Yalowitz. A flawed presidential election, use of force against protesters, and political manipulations… 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 »

Hong Kong: China’s accusations of foreign influence echo authoritarian playbook

     

China has a long history of blaming “foreign forces” for challenges it has faced internally, including the Tiananmen Square protests 30 years ago. But the depth and ferocity of China’s… Read more »

Could Tunisia’s election reshape the political system?

     

Presidential candidates Selma Elloumi Rekik and Abir Moussi want to fight against creeping fundamentalism that has threatened Tunisian women’s freedoms and improve economic prospects for unemployed youth. Their chances of winning… Read more »

Facebook, Google, Twitter and the ‘Digital Disinformation Mess’

     

With platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, modern-day purveyors of disinformation need only a computer or smartphone and an internet connection to reach a potentially huge audience — openly, anonymously… Read more »

Why equality is essential to a successful democracy

     

Democracy presupposes relationships of political equality in which citizens equally share authority, but in today’s divided public square, democratic institutions are challenged by disagreement about how such institutions should be… Read more »

How democracy speaks, hears and works

     

In recent years, an array of challenges have threatened democracies. Resurgent authoritarianism, cultures of corruption, violent extremism, disinformation, rising inequality and more dominate the headlines. Scholars have warned of a… Read more »