July 27, 2016
CubaThe motto of the American Bar Association (or ABA) is "Defending Liberty, Pursuing Justice." It should perhaps be revised to "Defending Liberty, Pursuing Justice, and Travel to Cuba." Right now t…
December 17, 2018
Southeast Asia2018 was a brutal year, in many ways, for civil society activists, rights advocates, and democratic politicians throughout Southeast Asia. Cambodia’s government transformed from an autocratic regime …
January 16, 2018
Southeast AsiaAs I noted late last year, 2017 was a disastrous year for democracy in Southeast Asia. Democratic rights and freedoms already have been in decline in Southeast Asia for more than a decade, but 2017 w…
April 26, 2018
Sub-Saharan AfricaThe RWB index provides a useful tool for comparing media freedom around the continent. It also provides yet another example of the diversity of the African continent. With respect to media freedom, Ghana and South Africa are far removed from Sudan and Eritrea.
July 6, 2017
MyanmarThe National League for Democracy (NLD)-led government in Myanmar has now been in office for more than a year, with Aung San Suu Kyi as de facto head of government. Suu Kyi certainly wields sizable i…
February 16, 2019
IndiaOn February 14, a terrorist drove a car filled with explosives into a paramilitary convoy in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir. A Pakistan-based terrorist group, Jaish-e-Muhammad, claimed responsibility sho…
February 13, 2019
United KingdomLast month, the British parliament voted to implement a trial of proxy voting for representatives on parental leave, a small step to make political institutions more gender-sensitive.
February 13, 2019
Southeast AsiaBy Pavin Chachavalpongpun Thai politics continues to be drawn along the monarchy’s fault lines, following the recent dramatic events, which exposed deep conflicts between opposing monarchical fact…
February 8, 2019
Southeast AsiaIn the run-up to Thailand’s elections on March 24, Thailand’s ruling junta initially seemed to have set the stage for the military and its allies to maintain power, one way or another, over the count…
February 8, 2019
GermanyThis week: a SOTU non-event; Facebook in Germany; Huawei war; WhatsApp warns Indian politicians; and China's APT10 strikes again.