Dictatorship

Doing Democracy During the Pandemic

2021-01-06

Social distancing laws, curfews, and track-and-trace technologies employed in the context of the COVID-19 crisis have been used to harass, detain, or sanction human-rights ...

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The Caudillo of the Kremlin

2020-08-03

By laying the constitutional groundwork to remain president for life, Vladimir Putin is engineering a further “Francoization” of his regime. But while Francisco Franco at least had a successor in King Juan Carlos, Putin has no such thing. which could spel

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China Is Its Own Worst Enemy

2020-05-27

Had Chinese President Xi Jinpings communist regime been wise, it would have sought to repair the pandemic-inflicted damage to Chinas image by showing empathy and compassion to other countries.

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Will COVID-19 Remake the World?

2020-04-13

No one should expect the pandemic to alter – much less reverse – tendencies that were evident before the crisis. Neoliberalism will continue its slow death, populist autocrats will become even more authoritarian, and the left will continue to struggle to

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Beware Viral Enabling Acts

2020-04-05

It is crucial that opposition parties are broadly on board with measures taken to address what seems like a once-in-a-century public-health crisis.

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Mohammed bin Salman's latest arrests expose weakness at heart of power

2020-03-11

The arrest of such high-ranking princes reveals the shaky ground on which the young princes future rests

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Could we live in a world without rules?

2020-03-07

We might dream of a world where there are no rules, but how practical would it be?

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An Expiry Date for Despots?

2019-12-11

A new wave of Arab uprisings suggests that the authoritarian bargain of the past may be collapsing.

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Iraq Is Not Yet Lost, But If We Continue to Ignore It, It Soon Will Be

2019-10-19

Muddled governance, harsh crackdowns, and outside interference threaten to overturn the fragile freedom that Iraqis have won at great cost.

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Democracy on a Knife-Edge

2019-10-13

The failure to protect minority rights is a readily understood consequence of the political logic behind the emergence of democracy.

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India’s Democratic Dictatorship

2019-09-24

Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indias character is being transformed by a government with no regard for institutions

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Will Democracy Die Last?

2019-08-26

These days, liberal democracy and authoritarianism seem to be engaged in a process of competitive decay, the outcome of which remains uncertain.

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Protests are making a comeback in the Arab world

2019-03-22

But there are reasons they haven’t gone viral

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Licking the Boot that Kicks You

2019-03-11

Many people cannot grasp how anyone could possibly support a coarse, narcissistic fantasist like US President Donald Trump...

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Sudan's Bashir declares year-long state of emergency, dismisses government

2019-02-23

President urges parliament to delay constitutional amendment allowing him to run for reelection in 2020

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The End of the Democratic Century

2018-12-28

Autocracys Global Ascendance

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Arabic Political Comedy: A Vector for Liberalization?

2018-10-06

To understand the thirst for this type of media it is important to reflect on past developments in Arabic language news

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Saddams Disney for a Despot: how Dictators Exploit Ruins

2018-05-31

The Iraqi dictator followed Mussolinis lead in appropriating ancient ruins to tell a flattering story about his own authoritarian regime.

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Why Orwell’s 1984 could be about Now

2018-05-21

Audiences around the world are re-reading George Orwells 1984, which is a handbook for difficult times

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How Syria Came to This

2018-04-15

A story of ethnic and sectarian conflict, international connivance, and above all civilian suffering

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Crime and No Punishment for the Iraq War

2018-04-08

It is unlikely that former US President George W. Bush or any member of his administration will ever stand trial for initiating a war of aggression in Iraq

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Iranians Are Mad as Hell About Their Foreign Policy

2018-01-03

The adventures of Tehran abroad have triggered anger at home

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Anti-regime protests in Iran erupt across the country

2017-12-30

Protesters chant death to the dictator

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What the UAE fears most: Democracy

2017-08-27

The Emiratis can intervene in the regions conflicts, install dictators, and arrange coups. They can apply maximum force. They will never, however, govern with consent

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