Democracy Digest examines perspectives on the impact of, and how to counter violent extremism in fragile States, with focus on Burkina Faso and Iraq.
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.
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’.
When A House Is Not a Home
For both the Palestinians and Kurds, violence continues to happen in their houses. These wars being fought because of old grievances.
After a Month of Countrywide Protest, The Iraqi Prime Minister Resigns
Iraqi protesters have now made sacrifices in large numbers to voice their dissent against the government and they still refuse to back down.
Russia Accountable for Any War Crimes in Conflict-Ridden Syria
Russia should be held accountable for war crimes in the conflict-struck Middle-East State of Syria, states Sara Kayyali in an article in Human Rights Watch.
Protests in Iraq: What’s next for the Middle East Country?
How to support Iraq’s protesters while recognizing limits to government’s ability to handle demands? Washington Institute’s Michael Knights asks.
“The Kurds Were not in Normandy”: Distortion and Genocide in the Middle East
That Kurds were not in Normandy is a shameful distortion of truth. We abandoned our Kurdish allies for dubious motives, now they are facing genocide.
Is there an Arab Spring 2.0 unfolding?
Renewed unrest in Arab countries does not necessarily mean a repeat of the Arab Spring of 2011, but observers are already talking about an Arab Spring 2.0.