R.I.P. Vo Van Ai – Vietnam’s tireless rights defender
Vo Van Ai, a tireless militant in defense of religious freedom and human rights in Vietnam, died on January 26, in Paris, of complications from heart surgery. He was 88… Read more »
Venezuela’s new stranglehold on civil society
Venezuela’s democratic opposition is pinning its hopes on the 2024 presidential election, a return to a strategy that has mostly failed over the past 25 years, Bloomberg reports. Even if… Read more »
Latin America’s strongest democracy offers many lessons
The Economist Intelligence Unit ranked it the 13th strongest democracy in the world, ahead of the United Kingdom (#18), Spain (#24) and the United States (#26), and well ahead of… Read more »
New geopolitical reality needs new narratives to advance democracy
To advance democracy as a model of governance, the EU should build a new narrative that squarely promotes it as a universal aspiration but that is tailor-made to local realities… Read more »
Breaking news – democracy more resilient than expected
At the beginning of 2022, all democracy indices indicated that the world’s democratic recession was continuing, according to Ken Godfrey, executive director of the European Partnership for Democracy. In this context, the… Read more »
As symbol of global ideological struggle, Ukraine ‘galvanized democracies’ – and complicated support strategies
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February made democracy’s defense a priority of the highest geopolitical as well as normative order, says a new report. It propelled commitments to protect democracy… Read more »
Iran protests highlight generational, ideological shifts
Many young Iranians, including teenagers, detained over their participation in anti-government protests, are at risk of execution and have been tortured, Amnesty International reports. The rights watchdog urged Tehran to… Read more »
Making the case: Democracy as pathway to prosperity
Voices from the developing world can build the case that democracy is the best pathway from poverty to prosperity, an Atlantic Council forum heard this week (above). Democracy is the… Read more »
As opposition leader returns, Tanzania reversing autocratic course?
Tundu Lissu, Tanzania’s leading opposition figure, returned home on Wednesday after more than two years in exile, one of the strongest indications yet that efforts by the East African nation’s… Read more »
Russia’s Night Wolves: ‘Victory Roads’ boosts Kremlin sharp power
The Night Wolves Motorcycle Club, an infamous nationalist Russian gang funded by the Kremlin, was spotted in Europe on Monday, Newsweek reports: As hundreds gathered to attend a parade… Read more »