One of the characteristics of the anti-democracy backlash is that while some states are openly repressive towards independent NGOs, others maintain a more ambiguous position, allowing civil society groups to operate under restrictions and the threat of arbitrary interference or …

In “a stunning one-week drop“ of $31 billion, Russia’s foreign exchange reserves yesterday dipped below $500 billion for the first time in eight months. The financial hemorrhage saw reserves fall to $484.7 billion, heightening fears of emerging recession.…

Independent labor unions will be a vital part of civil society in a democratic Cuba and the pre-communist union tradition may help them avoid the crises that hit other post-communist labor movements.  The independent Cuban labor leader Pedro Pablo Álvarez Ramos …

The United Nations Democracy Fund is inviting funding proposals from civil society organizations for projects that promote democracy.

UNDEF funds projects that “strengthen the voice of civil society and ensure the participation of all groups in democratic processes.” Proposals should …

The National Democratic Institute will confer the W. Averell Harriman Democracy Award on Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa and also honor the Women’s League of Burma at NDI’s 2008 NDI Democracy Luncheon.

A representative of the Women’s …

The 15-nation Southern African Development Community has called for a regional summit to resolve the ongoing crisis in Zimbabwe. The summit could be held as early as this week as the country’s neighbors try to persuade President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF …

There’s a thorough analysis of Thailand’s misnamed People’s Alliance for Democracy  in today’s Financial Times and its role in what Duke University’s Donald L. Horowitz calls a “creeping coup“. The PAD is revealed as a front for what …

The must-read Project on Middle East Democracy has launched a valuable and instructive Country Pages Project, a one-stop resource of country pages and backgrounders, analyzing prospects for democratic reform in key Middle Eastern countries – initially featuring Egypt, Lebanon, …

The deteriorating condition of Sanjar Umarov, the former head of the Sunshine Uzbekistan Opposition Alliance, is causing grave concern to his family and human rights activists. Umarov was arrested and jailed after the Andijon massacre. He has reportedly been drugged …

Academic analyst Arthur Goldsmith questions some of the premises of “undifferentiated democracy promotion”, highlighting the security risks of partial democracies and the limitations of external actors as agents of change. Rather than making the world safe for partial democracy, …