A thought-provoking study of democratization proposing that the spate of retreating democracies, one after another over the past two decades, is not just a series of exceptions.

Joshua Kurlantzick says Libya is hardly the only country that has reason to rejoice at the fall of Muammar al-Qaddafi.

Joshua Kurlantzick states, “China, other Asian nations, and the United States remain unprepared for Myanmar to spark a refugee crisis, a large-scale conflict along its borders — or even a nuclear breakout.”

Joshua Kurlantzick says Thailand's post-election democracy may need U.S. support.

Joshua Kurlantzick says the election victory by the party of Yingluck Shinawatra, sister of exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, puts Thailand's already wobbly democracy at greater risk.

Joshua Kurlantzick reviews Joel Brinkley's Cambodia's Curse: The Modern History of a Troubled Land.

Escalating hostilities between China and its neighbors over competing claims to the South China Sea is a test of China's growing strength and a diplomatic challenge for the United States, which insists that the waterway should be open, says CFR's Joshua Kurlantzick.

Joshua Kurlantzick reviews Mara Hvistendahl's Unnatural Selection: Choosing Boys Over Girls, and the Consequences of a World Full of Men.

Thailand's general elections in July could mark a crucial step toward reconciliation but are likely to fuel further resentments that have roiled the country and eroded regional stability, says CFR's Joshua Kurlantzick.

Joshua Kurlantzick reviews Mara Hvistendahl's Unnatural Selection.

Joshua Kurlantzick says that as counterterrorism officials plot life for al-Qaeda after Osama bin Laden, they would do well to look toward the Indonesian experience.

Joshua Kurlantzick argues, "Around the globe, it is democratic meltdowns, not democratic revolutions, that are now the norm."

Joshua Kurlantzick reviews Mark Askew's Legitimacy Crisis in Thailand.

Joshua Kurlantzick writes that the Obama administration has learned that Washington can criticize the Beijing regime on human rights while continuing to work with it on other important global issues.

Joshua Kurlantzick says China's involvement in the Arab world could provide a vital balance to existing western interests in the region.

In this Markets and Democracy Brief, CFR's Joshua Kurlantzick analyzes Thailand's democratic failure and offers lessons from the Thai experience for new governments and reformers in the Middle East.

Japan bears only some resemblance to the Asian countries ravaged by the 2004 tsunami, but their recovery experiences could provide valuable insights to leaders in Tokyo, writes CFR's Joshua Kurlantzick.

Joshua Kurlantzick says despite Beijing's quick response to potential protests similar to those sweeping over the Middle East, in reality China's leadership has little to fear.

The experiences of several Asian states in the past quarter-century are worth noting in today's turbulent Mideast. The Asian cases show the value of swift, cohesive action by opposition groups, and the need for a light U.S. touch, says CFR's Joshua Kurlantzick.

Joshua Kurlantzick says that while many look to Indonesia as a model for the Middle East's current transition to democracy, the outcome in the Middle East may be quite different.

Joshua Kurlantzick discusses China's new approach to foreign policy.