Liberal commentator Spencer Ackerman notes some Democrats’ concern at the Obama administration’s cautious response to events in Iran and finds that some democracy promotion experts are pinning their hopes for a more assertive U.S. approach on  Michael McFaul, the National …

The Obama administration has apparently conceded that prospects for building democracy in Afghanistan are slight, at least for the foreseeable future, even though Afghan democrats and civil society groups will continue their laudable efforts.  But now commentators are asking …

By appeasing Cuba’s communist regime, Europe is betraying the humanist ideal at the core of its political identity, writes former dissident Vaclav Havel.

“One of the fundamental pillars of Europe’s political architecture is a strong and enduring belief in the …

The Islamic Republic is facing one of the greatest challenges of its 30-year history, says Stanford’s Abbas Milani, in part because Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei abandoned his characteristic caution, discounted Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani pre-election warning of a seething …

Democracy advocates are concerned at press reports that Taiwan’s Kuomintang government is planning to “purge” the country’s democracy promotion foundation of programs that could allegedly antagonize the mainland’s Communist authorities.

Reports suggest that President Ma Ying-jeou’s nationalist government …

Do current events in Iran make you want to get a grip on the country’s politics? Foreign Affairs has a useful guide to essential reading, including Akbar Ganji’s “The Struggle Against Sultanism” in The Journal of Democracy.

But it …

The U.S. State Department has announced the winners of its Democracy Video Challenge online video competition.

The winners, from more than 900 submissions, are Rodin Hamidi’s The Path; Chansa Tembo from Zambia; Aissa Penafiel’s Long Live the Fearless Man…

A 20-year obsession with forestalling a ‘velvet revolution’ against the Islamic Republic drives Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, a Washington meeting heard today. Taken aback by the democratic rhetoric and momentum generated by Mir-Hossein Mousavi’s supporters, the regime is likely to …

June 16, 2009. 3 p.m. – The Center for Strategic and International Studies’ (CSIS) Africa Program. “Kenya: Is Political Reform Possible?” Panellists: Kenyan parliamentarians Martha Karua and Paul Muite; and Makau Mutua, University of Buffalo Law School. CSIS, 1800 K …

Up to 2 million supporters of Mir-Hossein Mousavi today defied a ban by the Interior Ministry to rally in huge numbers to protest against alleged fraud in the recent presidential election. Hundreds of thousands marched despite Moussavi’s appeal to his …