MBS: The dismal consistency of Saudi tyranny
“Were we wrong to have thought that MBS could bring progress to Saudi Arabia?” Ash’s @masoudtarek writes about the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia in a new review essay… Read more »
Search Results for: Syria
Pinning down Putin: How to deal with Russia
President Vladimir Putin’s opponents agree a nationwide vote next month that could extend his rule is a sham, but are split over whether to campaign for a “No” vote or… Read more »
Turkey & Russia: Not autocratic birds of the same feather
Democracies can reset themselves by changing governments through elections. Modern Russia cannot, says Alexander Baunov, a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Moscow Center and Editor in Chief of Carnegie.ru. By the confluence… Read more »
For democratic transitions – reform or revolution?
From Mexico to Iran, democracy is often a casualty of revolutionary politics undertaken in the name of liberty or opposition to tyranny, says a leading observer. The best-known modern revolutions… Read more »
Defending democracy in a post-truth world
The post-truth world of alternative facts, deepfakes and other digitally disseminated disinformation is the territory explored by Samuel Woolley, an assistant professor in the school of journalism at the University of Texas, in The Reality… Read more »
How to target the Cubazuela axis
Cuban civil society and human rights activists are expressing concern over the fate of former political prisoner Rolando Rodriguez Lobaina. Four days ago, the freelance journalist and human rights… Read more »
‘Powder keg’ or ‘pressure cooker’? Iran’s unprecedented legitimacy crisis
Iran’s president warned Monday of threats to the Islamic Republic’s “democracy and national sovereignty,” after a body dominated by his ultra-conservative rivals disqualified thousands of candidates, weeks before elections, AFP… Read more »
Russia begins transition – of Putin’s own power
President Vladimir Putin has proposed the most sweeping overhaul of Russia’s constitution since its adoption in 1993. Though the details are complicated, the upshot is simple: Putin, already in power… Read more »
Gray Zone Aggression: Combating Russia’s Hostile Measures
The current consensus on the complex Russian threat is simultaneously understated and overblown. Russia is dangerous. It sows disorder, weakens democratic institutions, and undermines NATO cohesion. In some ways, its… 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 »