Politics & Diplomacy

To defend US elections, we must recognize that the fault is in ourselves

By Nina Kollars and Michael Rodriguez

It is time to put money toward state information infrastructure, to align public expectations with the pace of the democratic process, and to hold elected leaders accountable for lighting fires in information dumpsters.

Ukraine on trial

By Adrian Karatnycky

Fears are mounting that the prosecution of Maidan protest movement leader Tetyana Chornovol on murder charges is an attempt to put Ukraine's entire future as a European democracy on trial.

Global litigation strategies to close the accountability gap on human rights violators in Iran

By Lucy Grathwohl

Gissou Nia and a panel of litigators—Haydee Dijkstal, Amanda Ghahremani, Scott Gilmore—discussed the tools through which the perpetrators of gross human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) can be held accountable in the United States, Europe, and Canada.

Terror tactics fail to stop the rise of a democratic Belarus

By Hanna Liubakova

By seeking to subjugate his own population, dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka is unwittingly pushing the Belarusian people away from the Soviet past and towards a democratic European future.

State of the Order: Assessing November 2020

The State of the Order breaks down the month's most important events impacting the democratic world order.

China’s Xi rushes to close EU investment deal ahead of Biden inauguration

By Frederick Kempe

President Xi isn’t willing to hit the pause button to provide President-elect Biden time and space to assemble his China team, reach out to allies, and frame his strategy. He won’t do so on trade and investment, nor will he do so in his efforts to crack down on political dissent at home.

US poised to boost support for democracy in Belarus

By Vladislav Davidzon

Belarus looms large on the US foreign policy agenda for 2021. Senators can set the stage for the year ahead by passing the Belarus Democracy, Human Rights and Sovereignty Act of 2020.

How secure is Belarus dictator Lukashenka’s throne of bayonets?

By Vladislav Davidzon

Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka's political survival depends on the continued loyalty of his extensive security apparatus—but just how secure is this throne of bayonets?

Reimagining a just society pt. 2 | The end of an era

By Carol Dumaine

This blog post series will explore the meaning of a “just society” through multiple lenses and in the context of today’s challenges, including but not limited to the coronavirus pandemic. With contributions from multiple authors, it aims to stimulate thinking and questions that distill the prerequisites and responsibilities for “just societies” in our times. COVID-19 spotlights […]