No opposition candidates allowed in Belarus dictator’s “sham” elections

UkraineAlert Feb 11, 2025

How Ukraine’s shadow army fights back against the Russian occupation

By Omar Ashour

Ukraine’s resistance movement has evolved significantly in the eleven years since the onset of Russian military aggression, with a dramatic escalation following the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, writes Omar Ashour.
Civil Society Conflict
No opposition candidates allowed in Belarus dictator’s “sham” elections

MENASource Jan 10, 2025

To help build the new Syria, the US needs to better understand the Kurds and Arabs of the northeast

By Ömer Özkizilcik

Washington should take note of the complexities in the region and not be bound by the past. The security of the entire region is at stake.
Civil Society Democratic Transitions
No opposition candidates allowed in Belarus dictator’s “sham” elections

IranSource Jan 6, 2025

Blinded Iranian activist Elaheh Tavakolian: ‘We lost our eyes on this path. Let us not lose sight of our goal’

By Holly Dagres

Holly Dagres sits down with blinded Iranian activist Elahe Tavakolian to share her story and discuss the situation in Iran and what the West needs to do.
Civil Society Freedom and Prosperity

Content

UkraineAlert

Feb 27, 2024

No opposition candidates allowed in Belarus dictator’s “sham” elections

By Hanna Liubakova

Sunday’s parliamentary and local elections in Belarus were among the most flawed in the thirty-year reign of the country’s authoritarian ruler, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, writes Hanna Liubakova.

Belarus Civil Society

Freedom and Prosperity Around the World

Feb 26, 2024

China must spread its wealth to reach equality

By Johanna Kao

Despite phenomenal growth in GDP, Chinese people have seen only modest gains (if any) across a range of freedom and prosperity indices. The Chinese Communist Party has failed to share the benefits of the country’s upward economic trajectory equally among its citizens.

China Civil Society

Freedom and Prosperity Around the World

Feb 26, 2024

Foreword: Creating another wave of democracy

By Daron Acemoglu

The best way to counter the current pernicious trends is to create another wave of democracy, similar to the one witnessed after the collapse of military dictatorships in Southern Europe in the 1970s. This requires reinstating democracy support, institutional trust, and empowering civil society appropriately.

Civil Society Democratic Transitions

Freedom and Prosperity Around the World

Feb 26, 2024

Regaining trust in government

By Simeon Djankov, Joseph Lemoine, Dan Negrea

Crises like COVID-19 prompt increased government control, challenging liberal values. Declining trust in governments clashes with security needs, urging policies to balance freedom and prosperity. Energy security challenges hinder net-zero goals, posing economic challenges globally, alongside privacy dilemmas amid surveillance tech in China, Russia, and the Middle East.

Civil Society Freedom and Prosperity

UkraineAlert

Feb 20, 2024

Outgunned Ukraine bets on drones as Russian invasion enters third year

By Mykola Bielieskov

As Putin's invasion passes the two-year mark, tech-savvy Ukraine is betting on drones as the best way to overcome Russia's increasingly overwhelming advantage in traditional firepower, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

Civil Society Conflict

In the News

Feb 20, 2024

Braw featured in CEPA’s Europe’s Edge journal

By Elisabeth Braw

On February 20, Transatlantic Security Initiative senior fellow Elisabeth Braw was featured in CEPA’s Europe’s Edge journal discussing Alexei Navalny’s legacy.

Civil Society Russia

New Atlanticist

Feb 16, 2024

Russia’s democracy movement will survive the death of Navalny

By Dylan Myles-Primakoff

The strategies and messages that the late opposition leader developed for fighting the Putin regime have spread to a diverse group of Russian pro-democracy actors.

Civil Society Corruption

UkraineAlert

Feb 8, 2024

President Zelenskyy’s dual citizenship proposal presents wartime dilemmas

By Mark Temnycky

President Zelenskyy's recent proposal to allow dual citizenship is a potentially popular but impractical measure in the current wartime conditions, writes Mark Temnycky.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

Feb 6, 2024

Russia’s Bashkortostan protests: Separatism isn’t the real threat facing Putin

By Dylan Myles-Primakoff, Lillian Posner

The main risk to the Putin regime is unity and solidarity across regions between Russians protesting shared forms of mistreatment at the hands of the state, write Dylan Myles-Primakoff and Lillian Posner.

Civil Society Conflict

AfricaSource

Feb 6, 2024

No more business as usual: The US needs a broader engagement strategy in West Africa

By Michael Shurkin

US influence in the Sahel has waned, and Washington needs to rethink its engagement there and in West Africa as a whole.

Africa Civil Society
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Experts

Fellow

Kelsang (Kaydor) Aukatsang

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Global China Hub

China Civil Society

Staff

Elise Baker

Senior Staff Lawyer, Strategic Litigation Project

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Civil Society Extremism
Jessica Batke

Fellow

Jessica Batke

Nonresident Fellow

Digital Forensic Research Lab

China Civil Society

Fellow

Alia Brahimi

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Civil Society

Millennium fellow

Nathan Bruschi

Chief Executive Officer, Anchorwork Inc.

Millennium Leadership Program

Civil Society East Asia

Fellow

Scott Cooper

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Forward Defense Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Afghanistan Civil Society
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Events

Online Event Wed, November 19, 2025 • 9:00 am ET

Intent to destroy: Confronting Russia’s campaign to erase Ukraine and its people
Civil Society Conflict Crisis Management Security & Defense