Bernard Lewis, R.I.P. – opposed Arab autocrats, studied Islam-democracy relationship

     

Bernard Lewis, an eminent historian of Islam who traced the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, to a declining Islamic civilization, a controversial view that influenced world opinion and helped… Read more »

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North Korea: civil society groups confront abysmal rights climate

     

The South Korean government should press the United States to discuss the appalling human rights situation in North Korea when US President Donald Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim… Read more »

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Impatient dictators: ‘How to Rig an Election’

     

Authoritarian states are using all-too familiar constitutional mechanisms to consolidate power, according to activist-journalists Tamara Grigoryeva and Ismail Djalilov. Across Eurasia, snap elections happen rather frequently, they write for Open… Read more »

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Activist’s trial highlights Angola’s reputation for nepotism and corruption

     

Angola’s new government must tackle the country’s reputation for nepotism and corruption, both at home and abroad, analysts suggest. President João Lourenço has made a positive start in challenging the… Read more »

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To ‘mature as a democracy’, Malaysia’s ‘sick-minded’ corruption must end

     

Malaysia’s new government on Monday established a special task force to probe possible criminal offences relating to country’s 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) sovereign wealth fund, the FT reports: The task… Read more »

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After ‘sham election’, four steps for rebuilding Venezuela’s democracy

     

Electoral authorities declared President Nicolas Maduro, the Council on Foreign Relations notes, with about 68 percent of votes cast, the winner in a Sunday snap presidential election. Roughly 46 percent… Read more »

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Armenia needs ‘institutional backbone’ to sustain democratic breakthrough

     

Converting Armenia ’s ‘Velvet Revolution’ into a sustainable democratic transition requires establishing an  “’institutional backbone” to ensure there is no reversion to corrupt, autocratic governance, says Daron Acemoglu, a Turkish born… Read more »

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Violent Extremism in Indonesia: Vulnerabilities and Sources of Resilience

     

The recent suicide bombings in Surabaya, Indonesia highlight the country’s continued struggle with radicalism and terrorism. Claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), these attacks typify… Read more »

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