The Chair of the EED says pro-democracy protests in countries like Algeria, Lebanon are a powerful message to Europe in a time of moral crisis.
Middle East articles on Democracy Chronicles
View news about the struggle for democracy in the troubled Middle East where vast cultural change and persistent political violence cry out for democracy. Also see our World Democracy section and our articles on the ongoing Arab Spring.
Iran, China and Venezuela called out on human rights abuses
State Department’s 2019 Country Human Rights Report shows deterioration in respect for human rights globally but, Iran, China and Venezuela in particular.
The Iranian regime is facing a fundamental test of legitimacy
Iranians voted for a new parliament Friday. Hard-line factions are set to win the polls. This could cripple the more moderate president, Hassan Rouhani.
A catalyst for change in Iran?
Iran’s theocracy is ruthless and survives through repression. However, the labor protest may be the political force most feared by the clerical regime.
‘Signposts of Struggle’: Iran’s protest movement endures
While protests will continue in Iran, it is unclear if they will lead to more significant outcomes, such as revolution or regime change, analysts.
Can Lebanon’s ‘tenacious’ movement turn from protests to power?
Although Lebanon’s new cabinet met for the first time on Wednesday, the country’s tenacious protest movement hasn’t seemed to lose momentum.
People, Processes and Politics: Countering violent extremism in fragile states
Democracy Digest examines perspectives on the impact of, and how to counter violent extremism in fragile States, with focus on Burkina Faso and Iraq.
Support for civil society is a better way to advance democracy, not regime change
Using force to achieve the democratic ends behind regime change often makes things worse, argues Benjamin Denison, postdoctoral fellow at Tufts University.
Democracy for Palestinians? Election talk rekindles hope
The European Union is pressuring the Ramallah-based Palestinian leadership to hold legislative and presidential elections.
Totalitarianism and weak civil society, recipes for ‘social explosion’ in Iran
An article in Democracy Digest argues that Iran’s totalitarianism when combined with a weak civil society constitutes a recipe for ‘social explosion’.