Venezuela: Edge of the Precipice
The Organization of American States will meet Thursday to discuss the deepening crisis in Venezuela, where the opposition is pushing forward with efforts to activate a recall referendum of President… Read more »
Search Results for: democracy support
Russia’s election countdown: opposition pressured by Kremlin
Russia’s liberal opposition has been subjected to all kinds of pressure in the last few months, from leaked clandestine sex tapes to dubious court cases and physical violence. As parliamentary… Read more »
Reconfigure USAID for State-Building?
Washington’s top development agency needs to focus on building governments, not democracies, in chaotic foreign countries, according to Max Boot and Michael Miklaucic, respectively the Council on Foreign Relations’ Senior… Read more »
Venezuela’s civil society ‘rapidly deteriorating’ – OAS must act
Civil society is rapidly deteriorating in Venezuela. Once a prosperous oil producer, the nation is slipping into a state of chaos that is beginning to resemble Somalia. And things just… Read more »
Georgia’s reserve of democratic assets challenged by citizen disconnect
Georgia has an unenviable position in the Caucasus. Torn between Russia and the West, its people demand security and prosperity, according to the Stratfor intelligence group: The ruling Georgian Dream… Read more »
Russia: Same Game, New Tactics
For some observers, Vladimir Putin’s re-election in 2018 is a foregone conclusion; they see him as a virtual “president-for-life,” secure enough to ignore pressures that might force another leader to… Read more »
Venezuela ‘is sinking,’ Capriles fears
As food riots, looting and police crackdowns shake Venezuela, the political opposition has increased its pressure on President Nicolas Maduro to accept a referendum on his rule, TIME reports: On June 7 opposition leader Henrique Capriles led a march… Read more »
Dalai Lama’s White House highlights China’s ‘insecurity’
President Obama met with the Dalai Lama as scheduled on Wednesday, despite objections from the Chinese government. Obama met the Dalai Lama when the latter visited Washington in 2014 and… Read more »
Bahrain ‘is bulldozing its civil society’ with ban on Shiite opposition
Bahrain suspended the country’s largest Shiite opposition group in a surprise court hearing Tuesday, intensifying its crackdown on dissent five years after Arab Spring protests rocked the island kingdom, The… Read more »
Empowering local actors, devolving power can assist Syria’s transition process
If the United States screens refugees for security risks, 59% of Americans support taking in refugees from the conflicts in Syria and other Middle Eastern countries, while 41% oppose, according… Read more »