Democracy events

Tuesday, October 26, 2010- 12:30 p.m. Preparing for the Possibility of a North Korean Collapse. The National Defense University’s Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction is holding a seminar on Preparing for the Possibility of a North …

U.S. must act to help Chen Guangcheng, lawmakers demand

US lawmakers are urging Washington’s envoy in Beijing to raise the case of blind activist Chen Guangcheng with Chinese officials.

Chen, who has been under house arrest since his release from prison last month, won international recognition as one of …

Democracies deliver, study confirms

Democracy outperforms rival political systems in delivering prosperity, according to a new global survey.

Gross National Product “measures everything except that which makes life worthwhile,” said Robert Kennedy, and the Legatum Prosperity Index gauges national wealth not only by …

U.S. urges India to make the case for Asian democracy

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to India’s East Asian neighbors this week provides an opportunity to refute claims that, in foreign policy at least, there’s not much difference between democratic India and authoritarian China.

The Indian premier’s “Look East” …

October 25, 2010 in Asia, Featured 0

North Korea: regime change, collapse or resilience?

The United States is “deeply concerned” about human rights in North Korea, the administration’s special envoy told a Washington conference.

Yet the meeting heard concerns that security and nuclear issues would take precedence over human rights in any future …

Burma: junta launches cyber-attacks in run-up to election ‘charade’

Burma’s military junta has launched a cyber-offensive against websites operated by exiled opposition democrats.

Democratic Voice of Burma, Irrawaddy Magazine, and Mizzima were forced to close following denial-of-service attacks targeting exile media outlets.

“I think they are …

Lunatics trying to break into the asylum?

The deluded South Koreans who reportedly tried to defect to North Korea’s Stalinist state should have picked up on the live streaming of yesterday’s discussion at the National Endowment for Democracy.

Inevitably, the meeting featured the regime’s human rights

October 22, 2010 in Middle East and North Africa 0

‘Tough, uncertain and dangerous’ work – but Afghan activists prove resilient

Security concerns are prompting many private contractors and NGOs to reduce or cease their work in Afghanistan, including projects supporting democracy and civil society.

One major contractor, Development Alternatives Inc., is ending its local governance program, The Washington Post reports

Religious freedom – a matter of national security?

“Religion is seldom a purely private matter,” argues Thomas F. Farr, as people “draw on their religious beliefs to shape the laws and policies under which they live their lives.” 

The Obama administration should appoint an Ambassador-at-Large for International …