How did the U.S. and its partners so badly underestimate Russia’s ability to project influence using modern soft power technologies? Global Risk Insights asks in a must-read analysis. One of the… Read more »
The Islamic Republic of Iran is strengthening the security forces and religious institutions that constitute the two key pillars of the regime, says an Institute for International Strategic Studies analysis…. Read more »
The killing of a Muslim cleric who demonstrated over poor public services in Basra undermines the pillars of democracy in Iraq, a member of the parliament-elected Iraqi High Commission for… Read more »
Liberal democracies are facing an authoritarian resurgence and various forms of sharp power projections on the part of Russia and China. These countries are becoming more authoritarian and prohibiting independent… Read more »
The prominent Ukrainian anti-corruption activist Kateryna Handziuk died on Saturday, The New York Times reports, several months after she was attacked with a liter of concentrated sulfuric acid. “Those who… Read more »
A free media is an essential pillar for keeping governments accountable and citizens informed. That’s why authoritarian regimes such as the one in Azerbaijan seek to intimidate, harass and silence… Read more »
Anecdotally, Egyptians appear far more concerned about security and economic issues than they are about their diminished civil liberties, argues Barak Barfi, a research fellow at the New America Foundation…. Read more »
The challenge Central Asian communities face from extremist groups is real. According to estimates, countries of the former Soviet Union were the largest single source of foreign fighters in the… Read more »
Authoritarian states are attempting to exert influence through sharp power, which typically stems from ideologies that privilege state power over individual liberty and are fundamentally hostile to open debate and independent… Read more »
The threat from Islamist militants is growing and the current approach for tackling the threat will fail unless there is a global strategy to tackle the roots of extremism, says… Read more »