20th century dictators vs. 21st-century autocrats
What do Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Kim Il Sung, Nicolae Ceausescu, Papa Doc Duvalier and Mengistu Haile Mariam have in common? The Economist asks. Frank Dikötter’s new book, “How to… 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 »
‘Chaos Is the Point’: Russian disinfo undermining confidence in democracy
Can you win an election without digital skulduggery? the FT’s Gillian Tett asks in a must-read analysis. As the 2019 documentary The Great Hack shows, [recent election] campaigns featured a… Read more »
Liberal democracy ‘will not survive the 21st century’?
Authoritarian regimes are experience a resurgence globally. Various strains of ethno-nationalism-populism are displacing liberalism and the rise of an anti-liberal order globally has many observers wondering if the core tenets… Read more »
Idealpolitik vs. Realpolitik: Idealism or ‘realism with a moral face’?
How to temper idealism with the demands of responsible statecraft—without abandoning our commitment to democracy and human rights? is the question posed by Ivan Krastev, the Henry A. Kissinger Chair… Read more »
China ‘taking its ideological fight abroad’: Taiwan a test for worldwide propaganda strategy
The Chinese government has undertaken a vast information influence campaign designed to support its favored candidates and sow distrust in Taiwan’s democracy, notes Rush Doshi, Director of the Brookings Institution’s China Strategy… Read more »
Accountability, democracy, good governance imperative for Africa’s development
For Africa to accomplish the ambitious but laudable Sustainable Development Goals, strong institutions and good governance must be in place to ensure inclusion, democracy, and security, according to Brookings’ Foresight Africa…. Read more »
The New Anti-Americanism: global ‘democratic recession’ drives worries about U.S. decline
Anti-Americanism has surged in much of the world, according to new polling from the Pew Research Center. But unlike an earlier generation of detractors, critics are less concerned about the… Read more »
2020: The year to focus on strengthening global democracy
In his recent book The Jungle Grows Back, American historian and journalist Robert Kagan asks readers to confront the possibility that this retreat isn’t a temporary slippage but rather that… Read more »
‘Demand for Deceit’: What drives disinformation
Russian operatives and other foreign actors are deliberately targeting U.S. troops and veterans with online disinformation amplified on a massive scale, according to a leading veterans group, The Washington Post… Read more »