North Korean workers protest
….. in Kuwait. North Korea has summoned dozens of workers from the Gulf state for staging a mass strike in protest at their working conditions, reports suggest: According to Radio Free Asia,… Read more »
Africa’s Democratic Hurdles
The political upheavals in Burkina Faso and Burundi have recently drawn international attention to the issue of term limits, but African leaders’ assaults on constitutional tenure restrictions have been under… Read more »
Tunisia: From Political Islam to Muslim Democracy?
The European Union today approved a 500 million euro ($570 million) loan to help Tunisia address economic challenges and bolster its democratic processes, Reuters reports: Tunisia’s transition to democracy has… Read more »
‘Indispensable partner’? India joins Russia in move against democracy NGOs
India placed three U.S. NGOs on a ‘watch list’ as Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the U.S. Congress he wanted closer ties between the two countries. India’s Home Ministry has… Read more »
Poland’s ‘populist form of corporate nationalism’
Europe’s illiberal democracies have gained a new member, and the world has taken notice, analyst Henry Foy observes. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of the Law and Justice party had been… Read more »
Kazakhstan’s ‘economy first, politics later’ philosophy under strain
Kazakhstan is not a country accustomed to political instability. Nursultan Nazarbayev has enjoyed a quarter century as president of the central Asian nation on the back of rising oil… Read more »
Brexit would bolster Russia’s geopolitical narratives
On balance, a British withdrawal from the EU would bolster Russia’s preferred geopolitical narratives and make it more difficult for the West to counter Russian power plays, argues James Nixey,… Read more »
Steer Middle East policy toward democracy promotion
The next U.S. administration should steer its Middle East policy toward democracy promotion across the region, argues Charles W. Dunne, a Middle East Institute scholar and former U.S. diplomat. The… Read more »
DRC test for sanctions policy in Sub-Saharan Africa
Concerned over Congolese President Joseph Kabila’s apparent attempts to cling to power, U.S. officials are pushing for sanctions against his inner circle but running into opposition from European powers wary… Read more »
Islam and democracy: What’s the problem?
Can Muslim-majority countries strike a balance between faith and democracy? Al Jazeera asks. Or, is there an irreconcilable tension between liberal values and Islamic beliefs? When we discuss political Islam… Read more »