Reports that China’s ruling Communist Party is training officials to use new social media are a further indication that authoritarian regimes are supplementing straightforward censorship with proactive efforts to shape opinion and Internet discourse.
Training is available to senior …
Is Yemen about to become the next failed state? The country faces an “astonishing confluence of unprecedented challenges,” democracy advocates suggest.
The state’s “potential implosion will have a dramatic impact on neighboring states, the region and the …
Tuesday, October 28, 2010. Human Rights in Iran. While the Iranian nuclear program grabs all of the headlines, for the average Iranian what matters more is the worsening human rights abuses of the regime in Tehran. The United States was …
The timing of the former Communist officials’ letter demanding an end to censorship in China reflects an internal party debate over political reform, analysts suggest.
“Day to day these people have zero power. But in symbolic terms this is certainly …
China should end censorship and permit freedom of expression, say – no, not the familiar dissidents or human rights activists – but a group of veteran Communist Party officials, including a one-time secretary to Mao Zedong.
The regime’s claim …
Egypt’s telecommunications regulatory is tightening control of SMS messaging services provided by mobile phone operators in an apparent attempt to obstruct voter mobilization in the run-up to November’s parliamentary elections.
New social media have been a vital tool for …
Democracy is consolidating across most of Latin America, but it remains vulnerable to corruption, incremental authoritarianism and violence by non-state actors, according to a U.N. report published today.
“Governments shouldn’t only be formed democratically, but govern democratically as well,” notes …
Wednesday, October 13, 2010- 8:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Lebanon, Hizbullah, and the Hariri Tribunal. The United Nations Tribunal investigating the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri is expected to release its findings soon and might indict members of Hizbullah. This …
China’s communist authorities should take advantage of the award of the Nobel Peace prize to dissident Liu Xiaobo as an opportunity for reform, says his wife, Liu Xia.