Tag: Richard Youngs

‘Dynamism Despite Disruption’: Will pandemic undercut or rejuvenate civil society

     

In many countries, restrictive laws already had been squeezing civil society before the Covid-19 crisis hit. The pandemic provides a convenient cover for governments to further tilt the balance of power… Read more »

Democratic resilience – new directions for civil society support

     

The acquittal of civil society activist Osman Kavala followed by his absurd rearrest shows the abysmal state of rule of law and democracy in Turkey, notes analyst Marc Pierini. The… Read more »

2019’s ‘tsunami of protests’: democracy’s new hope or false dawn?

     

When historians look back at 2019, the story of the year will be the tsunami of protests that swept across six continents and engulfed both liberal democracies and ruthless autocracies,… Read more »

Global protest wave rattles governments, but can it advance democracy?

     

Whether the unprecedented wave of protests leads to sustainable democratic transitions depends in large part on the strategic sophistication of illiberal regimes and democratic actors, including the latter’s ability to… Read more »

What drives democratization? Success of mass protests depends on who is protesting

     

Many observers fear that democracy is currently at risk, some blaming the less-educated  working classes, supposedly more inclined to support authoritarian populist politicians and parties, for the democratic backlash. Political analysts… Read more »

Democracy in a post-Western order: decline or renaissance?

     

The U.S.-led liberal order, built by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his successors, is being  dismantled, according to a leading strategist. The U.S. emerged from the horror of the 1940s as… Read more »

‘Democratic agnosticism’: Who is equivocating over promoting liberal values?

     

With protests raging in Hong Kong as well as in autocratic countries like Algeria and Egypt, and anti-democratic strongmen multiplying across the globe, the European Union is facing greater pressure… Read more »

Japan & South Korea should ‘lead the charge’ for democracy in Asia, but….

     

Japan and South Korea should lead the charge for democracy in Asia, argues Hudson Institute analyst John Lee. But recent developments cast doubt on that prospect.  In a rational world,… Read more »

Refreshing democracy: political innovation breeds democratic rejuvenation

     

Germany, like many places in Europe, is badly in need of democratic rejuvenation, says Verena Friederike Hasel, a contributing journalist for Die Zeit, who is currently working on a book… Read more »