Authoritarianism

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Belsat TV journalists Katerina Bakhvalova aka Andreeva and Daria Chultsova, who were detained in November while reporting on anti-government protests, flash the V-sign from a defendant's cage during their trial in Minsk on February 18, 2021.

Belarus Jailing of Journalists for Reporting on Peaceful Protest Violates International Law

An appeal hearing in Minsk offers a chance for the court to rectify an injustice that illustrates how reporters have been targeted for abuse..
People wearing face masks visit a Huawei booth during the Mobile World Congress in Shanghai on February 23, 2021.

China’s Dystopian “New IP” Plan Shows Need for Renewed US Commitment to Internet Governance

The US must rally partners to rein in the abuse of multilateral institutions for Huawei’s plans on 6G and beyond, which make concerns over 5G look minor.
Protestors rally against corruption in central Saint Petersburg on March 26, 2017. Numerous police or military forces in helmets watch the protestors.

Corruption Is a National Security Threat. The CROOK Act Is a Smart Way to Fight It.

A surcharge on entities liable under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act could advance good governance abroad and help create a more stable world.
Aerial view of the financial centre of Panama City taken on April 25, 2019. Areas with tress and shorter buildings are nestled between the skyscrapers.

The Fight Against Kleptocracy Should Look Beyond the West

Efforts that help constrain the enabling environment for corruption in the West do not sufficiently tackle how foreign authoritarian actors turbocharge kleptocracy and the role…
Two side by side photographs. The first shows China's President Xi Jinping shaking hands with Czech Republic's President Milos Zeman. The second shows Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic and China’s President Xi Jinping walking side by side. Both images have the corresponding country flags lined in a row behind them.

The Noxious Nexus of Money and Politics Takes Another Turn in Central and Southeastern Europe

A Forbes-listed billionaire’s China-fueled deals illustrate the potential security threats of media and telecom capture by authoritarians.
Farmers in India protest against new harmful farming laws while Indian paramilitary soldiers watch them behind barricades on December 13, 2020 at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border in Ghaziabad, India.

In India, US Defense Secretary Austin Must Not Overlook Its Democratic Decline

The Indian government’s pattern of repressive actions could undermine its value as a strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific region.
President Jovenel Moise sits at the Presidential Palace during an interview with AFP in Port-au-Prince, October 22, 2019.

In Haiti’s Political Crisis, US Should Support Democracy and Human Rights

Activists say the Biden administration should reverse its support of President Moïse's illegal, abusive rule and consult civil society on a way ahead.
Security Council meeting on peace and security in Africa, with a focus on countering terrorism and extremism in Africa.

If the US Wants to Push Back on Authoritarian Agendas at the UN, Get Counterterrorism Right

If the Biden administration is serious about promoting democracy and pushing back on authoritarianism, then it’s time for a policy response that confronts the way in which counterterrorism…
Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa inspects the guard of honour from a car during the Defence Forces Day celebrations held at the National Sports Stadium in Harare on August 14, 2018.

The American Insurrection Was a Gain for Dictators, and a Loss for Zimbabweans

The Jan. 6 Capitol riot marked a setback for millions of people around the world who yearn for more democratic societies where their voices matter.
President Biden speaks into a microphone in front of an American flag.

On Biden’s Planned Summit: Humility, Not Hubris, Can Save Democracy

The voices of those who have suffered most from democracy’s ills are crucial to understanding – and addressing -- the impact of backsliding laws, policies, and institutions…
Pro-democracy protesters hold up a sign showing a meme of U.S. President Elect Joe Biden and "No 112" on them during a rally at the Nonthaburi Police Station on December 08, 2020 in Bangkok, Thailand.

US Human Rights Policy: How to Really Build Back Better

The Biden administration must create a system in which human rights and democracy policymaking is embedded and integrated in its decision-making machinery.

Ousted Autocratic Presidents and Their Backers in the Legislative Branch

Machinations of hardliners from Sri Lanka to Hungary, Colombia and more signal the trouble Trump and his supporters could make for the Biden administration.
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