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August 14, 2023

Southeast Asia
The State of Democracy in Southeast Asia Is Bad and Getting Worse

By 2020, with the state of democracy already in dire shape, it seemed that things couldn’t get worse. And yet, in the past few years, they have.

A picture of Thai prime ministerial candidate is held up as protestors stand behind an iron fence.

June 8, 2023

Southeast Asia
The U.S. Is Losing Ground to China in Southeast Asia

China’s economic rise in Southeast Asia may have been unstoppable, but Washington has done itself no favors in the competition for economic influence.

U.S. President Joe Biden shakes hands with ASEAN leaders.

August 20, 2020

Middle East and North Africa
Lebanon’s Frustrating Day of Judgment

Fifteen years after the killing of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri roiled Lebanese society, the international tribunal’s ruling has left wide open the question of who at high levels was responsibl…

Seven judges sit in rows of three and four at attend a session of the UN-backed  Special Tribunal for Lebanon

October 20, 2022

Middle East and North Africa
Iran’s Protesters Want Khamenei Gone. Who Is Iran’s Supreme Leader?

Many in Iran’s women-led protests are calling for the removal of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and an end to the Islamic Republic. Here’s what to know about Iran’s top political and religious authority.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei gestures and speaks in to a microphone while seated. The Iranian flag is seen behind him.

February 24, 2022

Nigeria
Nigeria’s All Too Familiar Corruption Ranking Begs Broader Questions Around Normative Collapse

Released last month, the 2021 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) confirmed what many Nigerians know intuitively—that a steady stream of official antigraft rhetoric has hardly made a dent on what many agree is the most formidable perennial challenge to the country’s long-term stability. President Buhari’s sentiment to the effect that “if Nigeria does not kill corruption, then corruption will kill Nigeria,” is widely shared. Not only is Nigeria down five places from its 2020 ranking, its total score of twenty-four out of a maximum one hundred points represents a drop for the third successive year, making it West Africa’s second most corrupt country. Guinea-Bissau, still reeling from a failed military takeover in early February, holds the dubious honor of being the most corrupt.  

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari wearing gray traditional clothing and glasses sitting with a binder on his lap.