Despite failing to gain a significant following, the Jasmine Revolution in China spent a surprisingly long period of time in the 24 hour news cycle last week. Most experts seem to agree that the movement was destined to fail due to current cultural zeitgeist and effective central government propaganda. According to Wenran Jiang, a professor … Read more
Why President Lukashenko’s cooperation in Belarus could be more deadly than his refusal. With smoke and whispers of a domino-effect rising in the Middle East, it is difficult to tear attention away from Twitter updates from Egypt and Tunisia to focus on a quieter, as of yet unsuccessful, opposition movement. Indeed, a no less spectacular … Read more
Southern Sudan’s vote of independence sounds great. But in the current climate in North Africa, it could have dire repercussions. Awesome! A nation of people just voted for their freedom and a horrible, repressive dictator claimed he would honor the vote! But… al-Bashir (who is wanted by the ICC on genocide charges) is still in … Read more
Has the Internet modernized regime change? Times are changing. The days of the Stalinist repressive regime, the prominence of totalitarianism, and unchecked dictatorial brutality, may be approaching their end. The recent events in North Africa, the Middle East, and even historically autocratic Russia confirm that the interconnected world we live in is becoming an increasingly hostile … Read more
Earlier this month I wrote a blog documenting three elections in Africa, and I wrote it with the idea that I would continue to update the struggles for democracy in Tanzania, Guinea, and Cote d’Ivoire. While it’s cool to actually follow through on my idea and follow the political climates in these three nations, recent … Read more
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan held parliamentary elections this month that were hailed by the State Department, the National Democratic Institute, and the International Republican Institute as a clear step in the right direction for democratic progress in the region. There is no denying that Jordan has made strides over the past few years by … Read more
“At the root of human responsibility is the concept of perfection, the urge to achieve it, the intelligence to find a path towards it, and the will to follow that path if not to the end at least the distance needed to rise above individual limitations and environmental impediments. It is man’s vision of a … Read more
The last month has seen a surge in “democratic” elections around the world. Headliners like the recent election of Dilma Rousseff in emerging Brazil, the massive midterm elections of the US, and the corrupt and violent polls in Myanmar have taken center stage, but voting in Tanzania, Cote d’Iviore, and Guinea has also taken place. … Read more
The United States stands at a crossroads in its foreign policy. With the nightmares of Afghanistan and Iraq starting to fade as our troops withdraw, the nation needs to start rethinking its place in the world. Failed states are emerging left and right and the Obama Administration and thus America as a whole must choose … Read more
An end to one of the great tragedies of the last decade appears to be on the horizon. The government in the Sudan announced late last week that a referendum on partitioning the nation would be held in January of next year. Torn apart by ethnic and religious hatreds between the north and the south … Read more