Tag: National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

‘Downward spiral’ of media repression in authoritarian states – and open societies

     

In democracies and authoritarian states alike, leaders intent on consolidating power are finding new ways to repress independent journalism, according to a report released today by Freedom House. Antidemocratic leaders… Read more »

Countering the Kremlin playbook: strategies for defending democracy and rule of law

     

The concept of Russian “hybrid warfare” has dominated discussion of the Kremlin’s increasingly assertive behavior since 2014. Many analysts assert that the Kremlin’s hybrid capabilities, such as its use of… Read more »

Russia Scenarios 2030: don’t neglect ordinary citizens

     

The hope for a more viable democratic political force in Russia depends on resilience of Western democracies, according to a new report. The façade of stability and strength of the… Read more »

Closing civic space – or changing civil society?

     

The trend of closing civic space crystallized at the beginning of this decade. In response, concerned international actors — including various bilateral aid agencies, foreign ministries, private foundations and international… Read more »

Putin v. the People: Divided Russia faces perilous politics

     

According to a new survey from WCIOM, one of Russia’s leading polling agencies, trust in Russian president Vladimir Putin has fallen to an all-time low of 31.7 percent, notes Samuel A…. Read more »

China defends ‘political success’ of Tiananmen ‘vaccination’

     

China has acknowledged — and justified — the Tiananmen crackdown in remarks geared at foreign audiences. The English edition of the state-run Global Times tabloid called the handling of Tiananmen… Read more »

‘Rule By Fear’: China’s democracy movement faces new challenges

     

The 30th anniversary of the crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests has brought the realization that a prosperous middle-class China will not necessarily turn against the ruling Communist party, as many outside… Read more »

New Tiananmen documents expose power games behind massacre

     

In hindsight, the crushing of the 1989 democracy movement was a clear indication that China’s leadership understood and rejected the cost of moving onto “the right side of history” and… Read more »

Democracy and its discontents: still the benchmark of Westernization?

     

Democracy has long been the benchmark of Westernization, notes Adam Tooze, Professor of History and the Director of the European Institute at Columbia University. Talk of a crisis in democracy… Read more »

‘Most successful democracy promotion exercise in history’ in jeopardy?

     

Some European Union member states from Central and Eastern Europe may now be at odds with Brussels, but “the European accession process was by far the most successful democracy promotion… Read more »