Citizen K: Putin’s nightmare? The ballot box

     

By any measure, the decline of Putinism is indisputable. It was best captured by a poll conducted in May by the government-run Public Opinion Center, which showed that public trust… Read more »

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Advancing democracy – a resilient element of U.S. foreign policy?

     

Is democracy promotion a core element of America’s foreign policy identity? Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice believes so, but others are not so sure. U.S. foreign policy is overdue for… Read more »

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Why post-Mugabe Zimbabwe ‘remains mired in misery’

     

Zimbabwe’s state security agencies are suspected to have been involved in incidents that have targeted scores of opposition supporters, rights activists and even comedians who poke fun at political leaders…. Read more »

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How to understand Ukraine’s electoral revolution

     

Ukraine’s lawmakers approved (HT: CFR/RFE/RL) thirty-five-year-old lawyer and political newcomer Oleksiy Honcharuk as prime minister. Honcharuk said he will begin talks with the International Monetary Fund on a new aid… Read more »

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“Iron curtain of information” descending on Cuba

     

Some 14 Cuban non-governmental organizations* have declared that a new “iron curtain of information” is descending that further censors access to the internet, and restricts the flow of information. The… Read more »

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Capitalism vs democracy: Europe’s hard problem – or source of resilience?

     

Modern Europe’s political structure is based on the supposition that capitalism and democracy can be compatible – so the most urgent challenge of our times is reconciling the two, argues… Read more »

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‘Unprecedented wind in sails’ of anti-kleptocracy initiatives

     

Over the past year, an extraordinary burst of anti-kleptocracy legislation—much of it intended to counter Russian influence—has taken aim at the tools and tactics of foreign criminals looking to move… Read more »

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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 »

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Can democracy survive if the media fail?

     

In countries where a free press was just beginning to emerge, a cocktail of rising authoritarianism, audience cannibalization by social media, and financial weakness has thrown it into reverse. Independent journalism… Read more »

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Restoring civility for a healthy democracy and decent civil society

     

Intellectual humility is a time-honored virtue we can learn to cultivate—and one that’s also vital to a healthy democratic politics, argues David Blankenhorn, president of Better Angels, a citizens group… Read more »

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