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By Michael Allen on March 12, 2010
“It has become fashionable to say that the Bush administration made ‘egregious’ errors promoting democracy in the Arab world,” writes Steven A. Cook at the Council on Foreign Relations.
But, while Cook opposed invading Iraq, he insists that the previous administration was otherwise commendable in addressing the Arab world’s democracy deficit.
The “forceful, public support for [read full story]
Posted in Middle East and North Africa, NGOs/Civil society, autocrats, democracy, democracy promotion, promoting democracy | Tagged civil society, democracy deficit, democracy promotion, promoting democracy in the Arab world, promotion of democracy |
By Michael Allen on March 11, 2010
Promoting democracy is a vital element in the war of ideas against violent extremism, writes James Glassman, former U.S. undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs.
Public diplomacy and public relations are not the same thing, and efforts to improve the image of the United States will be less effective than active solidarity with [read full story]
Posted in Democracy assistance, Iran, Islam and democracy, Islam/politics, Middle East and North Africa, NGOs/Civil society, Religion and Democracy, democracy, democracy promotion, democracy support, foreign policy, promoting democracy, solidarity, totalitarianism | Tagged civil society, infrastructure of democracy’, Iran’s Green Movement, James Glassman, Muslim democrats, rule of law, Saad Eddin Ibrahim, totalitarian, violent extremism, war of ideas |
By Michael Allen on September 9, 2009
“It has become impossible to realize any sustained process of Arab democratization without establishing an effective civil society,” writes Ibrahim Saleh. But civil society’s potential is “strictly constrained by government policies and practices that restrict expression and alienate Arab publics from government, the media, the international community, and each other.”
Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Lebanon, and the [read full story]
Posted in Analysis, Backlash, Human rights, Labour/labor unions, Middle East and North Africa, NGOs/Civil society, National Endowment for Democracy, authoritarianism | Tagged civil society, independent trade union movements, International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, National Endowment for Democracy |
By Michael Allen on August 28, 2009
Authoritarian rulers are increasingly resorting to ostensibly non-political legal measures to neutralize opponents rather than manifestly repressive means. After initially appearing to nurture civil society after the trauma of Khmer Rouge rule, Cambodia is becoming an unfortunate case study of government using the law as an instrument of political persecution against opponents and critics.
The growing [read full story]
Posted in Asia, Backlash, Cambodia, Human rights, Labour/labor unions, NGOs/Civil society, authoritarianism, backsliding | Tagged authoritarianism, Cambodian Center for Human Rights, Center for Social Development, China model, civil society, Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission |
By Michael Allen on August 25, 2009
Iran’s mass show trial of dissidents and protesters recommenced today, while allies of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for two major reformist political parties to be banned. The moves are the latest attempt by hard-liners to neuter the dissident opposition that has emerged since the disputed June 12 presidential election.
In the fourth session of the Stalinist-style [read full story]
Posted in Democracy assistance, Elections, Iran, Islam/politics, Middle East and North Africa, NGOs/Civil society, authoritarianism, democracy promotion, dissidents, promoting democracy | Tagged civil society, color revolution, democracy movement, Saeed Hajjarian, velvet revolution |
By Michael Allen on August 7, 2009
“When I think of the ‘colored revolutions’, I feel afraid,” said Shi Zongyuan, China’s senior press regulator.
Democratic transitions in formerly communist states traumatized authoritarian leaders in Russia and China, prompting a remarkable convergence of views and responses, characterized by efforts to develop competing forms of soft power and to suffocate or co-opt civil society.
“On the [read full story]
Posted in Backlash, China, Democracy assistance, Must Read, NGOs/Civil society, National Endowment for Democracy, Russia, Soft power, authoritarianism, democracy promotion, media, promoting democracy | Tagged authoritarianism, backlash against democracy assistance, civil society, colored revolutions’, communist states, Democracy assistance, Empowerment and Rights Institute, formerly communist states, Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, National Endowment for Democracy, pre-empting democracy, sovereign democracy |
By Michael Allen on August 7, 2009
A year on from Russia’s invasion, Georgia’s democratic credentials and prospects remain subject to debate.
While technically a small war, the conflict raises large issues, including the democratic West’s readiness to stand by its principles and allies, writes the German Marshall Fund’s Ronald Asmus.
“Moscow feared the impact that Georgia’s pro-western democratic experiment could, if successful, have [read full story]
Posted in Democracy assistance, Eastern Europe, NGOs/Civil society, authoritarianism, backsliding, media, promoting democracy | Tagged authoritarian, civil society, Freedom House, Ghia Nodia, hybrid democracy, International Republican Institute, National Democratic Institute, National Endowment for Democracy, Nino Burjanadze |
By Michael Allen on July 24, 2009
Iran’s hardliners are hitting back at reformist claims that the regime has lost its legitimacy following the June 12 disputed presidential election. A prominent Iranian cleric today claimed there was a conspiracy to undermine Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“We know about the plots against the leader but you (who hold these meetings) should know that [read full story]
Posted in Elections, Iran, Islam/politics, Middle East and North Africa, NGOs/Civil society, authoritarianism, protests | Tagged Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Assembly of Experts, authoritarianism, civil society, clerical authoritarianism, iran, promoting democracy, Vali-e-Faqih |
By Michael Allen on July 17, 2009
Opposition supporters used the occasion of a sermon by Ayatalollah Ali-Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani to mobilize large street protests in Tehran today. In a predictably cagy speech, the former president called for the release of political prisoners but he failed to condemn the government’s crackdown and his equivocation drew criticism from the crowd.
A circular distributed among [read full story]
Posted in Backlash, Democracy assistance, Elections, Iran, Islam/politics, Labour/labor unions, Middle East and North Africa, NGOs/Civil society, Women, authoritarianism, dissidents, promoting democracy | Tagged civil society, Freedom House, Human rights, iran, sanctions |
By Michael Allen on July 6, 2009
A loosening of Russia’s restrictive NGO law ahead of a visit by U.S. President Barack Obama is being applauded by civil society groups and human rights activists, who nevertheless stress that the changes cover only a third of NGOs and Russia’s human rights record remains poor.
The reforms place limits on the amount of NGO internal [read full story]
Posted in Backlash, Eastern Europe, NGOs/Civil society, Russia, authoritarianism, corruption, dissidents, foreign policy | Tagged Carnegie Moscow Center, Center for Development of Democracy and Human Rights, civil society, David Satter, Dmitiri Medvedev, garry kasparov, Lev Ponomarev, liberalization, Masha Lipman, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, modernization, NGO law, Other Russia, Paul Klebnikov, Pavel K. Baev, Russia, solidarity, Stanislav Markelov, tandemocracy, Vladimir Putin, Vladislav Surkov, World Movement for Democracy, Yuri Dzhibladze |
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