Twilight of the Putin Era?
While the Kremlin’s new national security strategy is not devoid of foreign policy goals, it is actually heavily focused on Russia itself, notes Olga Oliker. In this context, it’s notable… Read more »
Down the Rabbit Hole: the UNHRC’s Universal Review Process
As part of a National Endowment for Democracy project addressing the voting records and activities of the United Nations Human Right Council (UNHRC), Chris Sabatini and Amy Williams examine the recommendations… Read more »
Will the internet of things enhance democracy or empower autocrats?
The “internet of things” is made up of device networks—connected eyeglasses, thermostats, and even cows—with sensors and internet addresses. The latest smart televisions now watch us, and report on… Read more »
Pillars of Poland’s democracy under threat
Poland, the pivotal power in post-communist central Europe, is in danger of being reduced by its recently elected ruling party to an illiberal democracy, argues Timothy Garton Ash. Basic pillars… Read more »
When rhetoric collided with reality in the Middle East
President Obama came to office far more focused on showing the world that the Bush era was over than on any coherent strategy of his own for advancing human… Read more »
Morocco’s changing civil society
Moroccan activists formerly associated with the February 20 Movement are redirecting their focus to cultural activities away from overtly political demands, Dörthe Engelcke writes for Carnegie’s Sada Journal. On December… Read more »
Anxious Dictators, Wavering Democracies
The findings of Freedom in the World 2016, Freedom House’s annual assessment of political rights and civil liberties, will be released on Wednesday, January 27, at 9:00-10:30 a.m. This year’s report… Read more »
Two options for how Putin’s regime may end
What happens these days in Russia is explicable and in a great degree even predictable – but that to understand, one must forget about traditional norms and logic as they… Read more »
Friends, Foes, and Future Partnerships in a Turbulent World
To achieve its strategic goals, the United States relies heavily on its allies and coalition partners—the “outer defenses” of America’s security system, notes RAND analyst Hans Binnendijk. It needs partners… Read more »
Freedom of information: a catalyst for democratic growth?
In 2010, Liberia passed a Freedom of Information Law that was the culmination of seven years of concerted efforts by the Liberian media, civil society groups, and the international community… Read more »