The fight for open societies begins again
Freedom House reports that less than 20% of the world’s population now live in what it categorizes as fully free societies, the lowest share in more than a quarter century.
While populism is hardly new, the internet — especially social media — has enabled misinformation and reckless promises to be disseminated more efficiently than ever before.
COVID-19 hits the biggest democracies the hardest. But why?
The pandemic is thought to be further entrenching economic and social inequalities.
Putin is losing the battle for Russia’s future
Since Russians began protesting opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s imprisonment, the security forces have apparently had carte blanche to arrest demonstrators — and they have done so by the thousands. If Russians so much as honk their car horns in solidarity with the protesters, they ...
Japanese 'Magnitsky Law' would send strong message to Hun Sen
There is a global trend toward adopting Magnitsky laws, which allow countries to freeze the assets of and impose travel bans on those who violate human rights.
The Myanmar coup’s dangerous aftershocks
Although the army has declared a state of emergency for a year, past history in Myanmar with such declarations could easily suggest that the state of emergency could go on for many years.
The eternal promise of the Arab Spring: Democracy isn’t like instant coffee
Instead of undergoing a genuine transition to freedom and social justice, almost all Arab Spring countries have reverted to various combinations of autocracy, poverty and violence.
After 23 years of Chinese rule, Hong Kong is back to square one
Hong Kong's chief executive has created a path for the city's leadership to remove legislators at will, without involvement of the legislature itself or the judiciary.
Updating democracy: The younger generation is losing faith in the system
"Capitalism" and "socialism" describe the once emerging industrial world, so we need the same inventiveness to describe the digital world that has replaced it.
A supersurveillance society and its impact on democracy
The coronavirus pandemic has given rise to stronger authoritarianism, populism and nationalism, threatening to harm rights-based systems.
'Democracy in China: The Coming Crisis' review: Democracy is in China's best interest
As the pro-democracy movement has roiled Hong Kong and people worldwide lament China’s lack of transparency surrounding the coronavirus outbreak, it seems like auspicious timing for Jiwei Ci’s new book, “Democracy in China: The Coming Crisis.”
Keep a tight rein on virus-tracking tools
Tools that democracies need to fight a pandemic are not appropriate when it’s over.
