Never mind the Greek debt crisis and the economic malaise afflicting most of Europe. The continent is afflicted by a more profound socio-political crisis that is re-defining what we mean by democracy, Ivan Krastev writes in The American Interest. And …
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February 27, 2012
in Authoritarianism, Democracy Assistance, Democratic transitions, Egypt, Islam and Politics, Middle East and North Africa, NGOs and Civil Society
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Brotherhood not ‘intimidated’ by US aid threat over Orwellian NGO crackdown
- Nancy Okail reading Orwell in the dock. Credit: European Pressphoto Agency
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood insists it will not be “intimidated” by threats to withhold U.S. assistance in response to the government’s crackdown on pro-democracy groups, but observers believe the …
Sudan’s ‘reign of terror’ threatens world’s newest state
Rebel groups today claimed to have captured an army garrison near the border with South Sudan in an offensive that Khartoum attributed to the south’s army. Rebels fighting along the disputed border with the secessionist south reportedly seized the strategic …
February 27, 2012
in Authoritarianism, Central & Eastern Europe, Democracy Assistance, Democracy Promotion, Europe, Human rights
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Hungary – Putinism’s ‘first ideological outpost’?
Is Eastern Europe about to be infected by Hungary’s resurgent authoritarianism?
It may be time to revive Cold War-era interventions to promote freedom and human rights threatened by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s version of Putinism, some observers suggest.
“Messianic …
February 27, 2012
in Democracy Assistance, Democratic transitions, Egypt, Middle East and North Africa, NGOs and Civil Society
1
Egypt NGO case deferral signals ‘back-channel’ deal?
U.S. officials are in “intense discussions” with Egyptian counterparts to defuse the crisis over Cairo’s crackdown on non-governmental organizations, as observers speculate that the postponement of judicial proceedings against pro-democracy activists (above) may signal ‘back-channel’ efforts to find a …
February 27, 2012
in Asia, Authoritarianism, China, Corruption, Democracy Promotion, India, Indonesia
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Consolidating – and promoting – Asian democracy
While the much-vaunted China model of developmental authoritarianism and Beijing’s soft power appear to have attracted more commentary from Western analysts than active adherents, Asia’s liberal states have been steadily consolidating and quietly promoting democratic development, writes Kavi Chongkittavorn. …
February 25, 2012
in Arab Spring, Authoritarianism, Bahrain, Democracy Assistance, Democratic transitions, Egypt, Middle East and North Africa, NGOs and Civil Society
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‘Chilling effect’ of Egypt’s NGO crackdown felt in Bahrain
“A trial for at least 16 Americans set to begin Sunday in Egypt could have far-reaching implications for the pro-democracy movement that has been sweeping the Middle East,” reports suggest.
“Barring some last-minute flourish of face-saving diplomacy, it also could …
Digital Media Mash Up
Global censorship, the U.N. threat to Internet freedom and the legal enabling environment for independent media in Iraq are just a few of the goodies in this week’s Digital Media Mash Up.
The mash-up is a weekly compilation of events, …
February 24, 2012
in Authoritarianism, Eurasia, National Endowment for Democracy, Rule of Law, Russia
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Russia in crisis – or on the cusp?
“Russia is on the cusp, it seems, of yet another dramatic inflection point in a long history of convulsions,” writes Paul Starobin, former Moscow bureau chief of Business Week and author of After America: Narratives for the Next …
February 24, 2012
in Arab Spring, Democratic transitions, Egypt, Islam and Politics, Middle East and North Africa
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Egypt’s illiberal parties to dominate presidential poll?
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood today claimed an outright majority in the election for the upper house of parliament. The Freedom and Justice Party won 59 percent of the Shura’s 180 seats, the Brotherhood’s newspaper said.
The country’s forthcoming presidential elections …