Trump’s Dream and Tocqueville’s Nightmare
The current erosion of agency amongst citizens in the U.S. is bringing us closer than ever to Tocqueville’s cautions of the path to despotism
Authoritarian Difussion and the Failure of the “Colour Revolutions” to Spread
Can the concept of “Authoritarian Difussion” explain the unsuccessful spread of the colour revolution and the repressive measures that illiberal regimes have taken after?
Balkan Schrodinger’s Cat: The Case of Macedonian Democracy
Urgent reforms on systemic rule of law issues and the restoration of freedom of expression need to occur in order to determine the future of Macedonian democracy.
Conservative Authoritarianism in Turkey
Erdogan stands against intellectuals or elites in Turkey because these groups are identified as a ‘possible enemy’ for the lower classes, who support Erdogan/the AKP.
A Critical Contribution to Academic Freedom in Turkey
The majority of academics seem to fail to understand the relationship between the pressure on academic freedom and the neoliberal-conservative pressure on the labour force.
Interview – Ivan Krastev
Ivan Krastev discusses Russia’s troubled relationship with the West, the problems with democratic triumphalism, and the role of the EU in the post-Cold War world.
Egypt’s Crisis and Its Polarised Narratives
How a crisis is simplified and framed can say a lot about the strategic choices being made by certain actors, as can be seen from the polarised narratives arising out of Egypt’s crisis.
Nigeria’s Post-Military Transition: “Democracy is not a Day’s Job”
Despite Nigeria’s transition to democracy there are trends towards identity-driven political agitation by well-armed youth militia or vigilante groups engaged in acts of violence as responses to alienation from the state, economic decline, unemployment, and the militarization of society by decades of military rule. This underscores the persistence of militarism within some sections of civil society in a ‘democracy-from-above’ which has in practice largely favoured vested interests, and all but closed the prospects for political participation, dialogue and grassroots democratization.
