The architect of Egypt’s crackdown on U.S.-funded pro-democracy non-governmental groups – and a leading holdover of Hosni Mubarak’s regime – will not serve in the new cabinet, reports suggest:

Faiza Abou el-Naga, who had coordinated foreign aid to …

Cuban President Raul Castro claimed today that his regime is willing to engage the United States, but he launched a fierce attack on the island’s democratic opposition, a day after the funeral (above) of leading dissident Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas.

At …

The likelihood of Burma’s reform process generating a democratic transition is “only incipient at best,” says a leading democracy scholar, even though recent events offer the exciting and promising prospect of an opening of political space. The military’s prerogatives must …

Ai Weiwei (right) has lost his appeal against a multimillion-dollar tax evasion fine, China Digital Times notes, but he is viewing the glass as half-full:

Ai said the ruling will ultimately come back to haunt the authorities. …

Thirty years after Ronald Reagan used his Westminster address to launch a “crusade” to “foster the infrastructure of democracy” around the world, some of the most ominous challenges are now found in the established democracies, says a leading analyst.

Dante …

Turkey and the European Union stand to gain most from the Arab Spring, a new survey suggests, while the United States is unlikely to glean a democracy dividend arising from the regional turmoil.

Those actors perceived to “have been …

The Kremlin today dismissed as “complete rubbish” reports that the regime plans to designate media outlets in receipt of overseas funds as foreign agents, in line with recent changes in the country’s NGO laws.

“If we go mad, you’ll be …

Syria today denied Russian claims that President Bashar al-Assad was prepared to relinquish power “in a civilized way,” as observers questioned the regime’s longevity and speculated on a possible strategic retreat to an Alawite coastal enclave.

“Syrian authorities claimed on …

Do the current purges and power struggles in North Korea indicate a shift to Chinese-style market reform?

Since last month’s ‘6.28 Policy’ announcement of “a new economic management system,” North Koreans are openly referring to Vietnamese-style or Chinese-style reforms …

Today’s bombing attack in Damascus is a dagger in the heart of the Assad regime, Hussein Ibish writes on the Daily Beast.

Even if the regime survives for many months, or possibly years, today’s bombing will likely be remembered as …