By Lynette H. Ong Anwar's Victory After nearly a week of political stalemate, Anwar Ibrahim, the leader of the opposition and long-time prime minister-in-waiting has successfully assembled an alliance of political parties to become the leader of the ruling coalition and the 10th Prime Minister of the country. His ruling coalition is made up of... Continue Reading →
Mohammad Ali Kadivar is an assistant professor of sociology and international studies at Boston College. He is the author of the book Popular Politics and the Path to Durable Democracy. Become a Patron! Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. It's been exciting and it's been overwhelming. It's exciting to see people are rising,... Continue Reading →
Michael Ignatieff is a historian and former Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. He has served as rector and president of Central European University, and is the author, most recently, of On Consolation: Finding Solace in Dark Times. He recently wrote, "The Politics of Enemies" in the Journal of Democracy. Become a Patron! Make... Continue Reading →
By Lovise Aalen Cessation of Hostilities In an unexpected diplomatic breakthrough, the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) signed on November 2nd an agreement on a permanent cessation of hostilities (CoH), signalling a first step in ending a two-year war in the Ethiopian northernmost region, one of the least known, but most... Continue Reading →
By Michael Nwankpa A Brief History of Democracy in Nigeria Nigeria’s fledgling democracy boasts of six elections and three changes of government. All these have happened since 1999 when Nigeria returned to civilian government after 16 years of consecutive military regimes. Most describe this period as the Fourth Republic. The Fourth Republic is Nigeria’s longest democratic... Continue Reading →
By Serhun Al Roadblocks to a Democratic Transition Almost a century ago, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founding father of modern Turkey, abolished the Ottoman caliphate and monarchy declaring a secular Republic with a European outlook. A century later, President Erdoğan has established a sultanistic regime over his twenty-year rule where many of his supporters embrace... Continue Reading →
By Evelyn Alsultany Crime, but Not a Hate Crime? On February 10, 2015 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Craig Hicks, a 46-year old white male car-parts salesperson, murdered his neighbors. They were three Muslim American students: Deah Barakat (age 23), his wife Yusor Abu-Salha (age 21), and her sister Razan Abu-Salha (age 19). He shot... Continue Reading →
by Justin Kempf Undemocratic Political Mobilization Nothing is more democratic than the popular participation of its citizens. Indeed, democratic regimes institutionalize political mobilization through elections where popular participation is widespread and encouraged. However, political mobilization is not always democratic. Some politicians mobilize their supporters to instill fear in their opponents. People may mobilize against other... Continue Reading →
By Justin Kempf The Debate About Democracy Far too often we take the meaning of democracy for granted. It's a complex idea with many different interpretations. However, we frequently label actions as undemocratic without any pause or hesitation. Even when we cannot clearly define democracy, we believe we can easily recognize what is undemocratic. What... Continue Reading →
By María Isabel Puerta Riera The 2022 Election As we entered the final weeks of the 2022 midterm elections, the landscape was promising for Republicans. The expectation of a red wave grew with the help of pundits and pollsters building on the long-running theme of the Democrats in disarray. The sense of dread increased with the anticipation of... Continue Reading →
