Can France stem populist tide?
The spread of populism is rooted partly in economic inequality and in a rejection of progressive ideals, caused by generation and education gaps, according to Pippa Norris, a comparative political… Read more »
Democracy ‘no longer the only game in town’
“Democracy is no longer the only game in town,” says Harvard political scientist Yascha Mounk. Mounk’s work first came to my attention this past summer, when he and Roberto Stefan… Read more »
Democracy activists shortlisted for Freedom of Expression Awards
A Zimbabwean pastor arrested last week for his #ThisFlag campaign, an Iranian Kurdish journalist covering life as an interned Australian asylum seeker, one of China’s most notorious political cartoonists, and… Read more »
Russia’s bad equilibrium: Kremlin’s new ideology
After more than two years of economic contraction, Russia seems to have achieved some semblance of stability, notes Anders Åslund, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington. Though… Read more »
Will Somalia election benefit Shabab?
Wednesday’s presidential vote is part of the rebuilding effort in Somalia, which was shattered by more than two decades of conflict and where clan loyalties still tend to trump policy… Read more »
The coming ‘dissolution’ of Islamic State
Under assault from all sides, the Islamic State (IS) extremist group is losing territory, revenues, and the ability to attract recruits, a new United Nations report said, RFE/RL reports: The… Read more »
Putin critic falls into coma
Vladimir Kara-Murza, a leader of the Russian opposition who has been a vocal critic of what he calls a Kremlin policy of assassinating political enemies has fallen into a life-threatening… Read more »
Autocracies fear ‘existential threat’ of democratic contagion
Think of two significant trend lines in the world today, writes Brookings analyst Robert Kagan. One is the increasing ambition and activism of the two great revisionist powers, Russia and… Read more »
What role for the United States in Venezuela?
As the economy continues to deteriorate—GDP shrank an estimated 19% last year and inflation hit 800%—there is little argument about the severity of the crisis in Venezuela. With dozens of political… Read more »
Learn the lessons of Russia’s creeping authoritarianism
A few hours before Vladimir Putin gave his 2014 new year’s speech, a shadowy group calling itself Shaltai Boltai — the Russian for Humpty Dumpty, the nursery rhyme character —… Read more »