China’s ‘Gateway to Europe’ starts to narrow
China is facing an uphill struggle to project its sharp power in Central and Eastern Europe after Czech voters last month elected a new resolutely pro-Western president, Petr Pavel. The… Read more »
Authoritarianism is on the wane
#Authoritarianism is on the wane because it has not been delivering the goods, @TheEconomist notes. Asian admiration for #China’s model of governance has been diminished by President Xi Jinping’s blunders…. Read more »
Embedding liberal democracy in post-war Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that his country has intercepted plans by Russian secret services to destroy Moldova, AP reports. Speaking to European Union leaders in Brussels, Zelenskyy said… Read more »
Spamouflage: China Model diminished despite ‘sharp power’ projection
A coordinated foreign influence campaign linked to the Chinese government is using social media to undermine confidence in Australia’s democratic system, according to researchers at Canberra defence thinktank. The network… Read more »
A new approach to democracy: How to protect a future for freedom
Ukraine is reminding us that democracy is a verb as well as a noun, not a mere institution or abstract concept, but results from action, from struggle, says historian and… Read more »
Why ‘freedom will win’ – Ukraine has no other option
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky today addressed a joint session of the UK Parliament shortly after making a surprise trip to the UK, the BBC reports (above). Hundreds of MPs and… Read more »
How Venezuela reinvented & transitioned to authoritarianism
How Nicolás Maduro reinvented authoritarianism for the twenty-first century is the subject of a new book from Amherst College professor Javier Corrales. In Autocracy Rising, he explains why and how… Read more »
The Russian factor in African democracies’ alarming regression
Africa is grappling with democratic backsliding, according to recent studies. In 1985 there were only three democracies while there were 42 authoritarian regimes on the continent. By 2015, the number… Read more »
Gauging the future of Iran’s democracy movement
A long-detained opposition leader in Iran called for a nationwide referendum about whether to write a new constitution for the Islamic Republic amid nationwide protests shaking the country, AP reports. Mir… Read more »
China’s ‘civilizational state’ losing its sharp power edge
As China goes through a turbulent reopening, some in the United States may take comfort from seeing the country it describes as its most challenging competitor flounder. Yet, China is… Read more »