Since the collapse of Communism, the Council of Europe has “become the first way station for former Soviet bloc nations aspiring to join a web of Western alliances,” writes Judy Dempsey, editor in chief of Carnegie’s Strategic Europe:

As a …

American citizenship appears to be the “Scarlet Letter” of Russian politics, The Economist reports, citing proposed laws targeting specific individuals, including:

…. a provision to keep Americans from working in politically-oriented NGOs was directed at Lyudmila Alexeyeva (left), …

“In another apparent tit for tat provoked by the Magnitsky Act, Russia said Wednesday that it was withdrawing from an agreement that provided help from the United States in fighting narcotics and human trafficking and enhancing the rule of law,” …

Russia today announced further curbs on civil society groups, as a leading analyst recommends “information warfare” as the most effective response to the Kremlin’s growing authoritarianism at home and abroad.  

“Russia’s Justice Ministry is proposing legislation to extend rules …

Compared with the other emerging powers in the so-called BRIC group (Brazil, Russia, India, and China), China has under-participated in global governance. The low supply of China’s contributions results from the limited interest of the Chinese authorities and limited capacity …

The people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo must have genuine representation and expression of their grievances for any peace process to last, said Joshua Marks, the National Endowment for Democracy’s senior program officer, addressing last week’s Great …

Last week’s mass protests in Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, led by cleric-politician Tahir-ul-Qadri, were disciplined, well-organized and strategic, yet they failed because they “hit a brick wall made of Pakistan’s mainstream, democratic parties,” says a leading commentator.

“These parties, including …

“Something amazing happened in Georgia’s 1 October 2012 parliamentary elections. The government lost and it gave up power, aside from the now-weakened presidency that it will hold for another year,” say two leading analysts:

A new coalition known as Georgian …

The ongoing global shift toward democratic government, vividly joined in recent years by the Arab World, is tempered by the many challenges of democratic transitions, writes Joseph Siegle.* The toppling of an autocratic leader does not automatically mean the rise …

The United States “will support democracy from Asia to Africa; from the Americas to the Middle East, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom,” President Barack Obama …