Putin Just Learned Why You Don’t Trust Mercenaries
The Russian autocrat forgot an age-old truth about working with common criminals and soldiers for hire.
The Russian autocrat forgot an age-old truth about working with common criminals and soldiers for hire.
In the days ahead, the West must remain calm—and redouble its support for Ukraine.
The Russian autocrat’s system of control has rested on pillars that are beginning to crumble.
Our rising levels of inequality have put its ideals in crisis. These are the simple principles that can help bring it back from the edge.
The small Latin American country was a brief democratic bright spot. But it appears to have fallen victim to a clash between populists and anti-populists, without a democrat in sight.
Many derided it as naïve idealism, but the vision undergirding the Freedom Agenda offers lessons for the biggest global tests of our time.
The regime tilted the playing field to its advantage, but it didn’t matter. Thailand’s opposition won with creativity, shrewd tactics, and a strategy that united the people.
Thailand’s voters—especially its young people—have sent the country’s junta a message: They want change now. But will the military listen?
What the opposition did and how Erdoğan managed to escape outright defeat.
Why are the French protesting this time? Emmanuel Macron is imposing deeply unpopular reforms, and it’s one of the only ways left to check an arrogant and tone-deaf president.
The Turkish president came to power as an antiestablishment everyman. Twenty years later he is an authoritarian leader clinging to power. Will the forces that catapulted him to power be his demise?
The Venezuelan dictator defied sanctions, international isolation, and massive protests. He appears to have a firmer footing than he’s had in years. Now what?
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine isn’t just another land grab. It’s an attempt to recolonize lost empire, and threatens to return us to the age of conquest.
The suffragists imagined that a greater role for women in democratic politics would lead to a more peaceful world. Few realize how right they were.
For twenty years, the Russian autocrat enjoyed a string of good fortune in coming to power and cementing his rule. He had raised Russia’s standing in the world. Then he invaded Ukraine.
His military didn’t just fail. Ordinary Ukrainians, Russians, and people across the globe are creatively and nonviolently protesting Putin’s war on Ukraine, and they are making a difference.
The Russian leader declared war on his country’s independent journalists. But Russian media outsmarted him by taking their operations overseas. They are now reaching more people than ever before.
The democratic icon’s path to prime minister has been tortuous and long. But is Malaysia’s pluralism slipping away precisely when Anwar is getting his shot to lead the nation?
China’s recent protests marked a crucial milestone: The mainstream Chinese public, at home and abroad, finally spoke up for the Uyghurs and their plight.
Nationwide protests against Xi Jinping’s zero-covid policy caught the Chinese Communist Party off-guard. Expect the Party’s security apparatus to strike back with quiet precision.
Chinese citizens from Urumqi to Shanghai took to the streets, blank sheets of white paper in hand, to denounce the CCP and call for change. Xi Jinping’s repression and zero-covid lockdowns has united the public in empathy and anger.
The government has spent billions preparing to host the 2022 World Cup. Never mind the abusive labor practices and human rights violations. It’s betting that your love of the “beautiful game” will make you more fond of this tiny Gulf state, too.
From Putin’s invasion to Kim’s nuclear saber rattling, the West has punished the world’s worst regimes. But have sanctions missed their targets?
The popular Chinese-owned app is enabling Beijing to collect data on people nearly everywhere. Not only can such platforms track people’s preferences and whereabouts, but they give the Chinese government control over a powerful tool for shaping people’s worldview.
Across the globe, the people who run our elections are being undermined, targeted, and attacked. Here is how to shore them up—and protect democratic institutions, too.
Beijing’s focus has been on strong and steady economic growth for decades. But China’s leader has just put an end to that era. For Xi, it’s only about power—at home and abroad.
Most are Russian speakers from the east, and once harbored sympathies for Moscow. If the country embraces them, they could form the bedrock of a free and open Ukrainian society.
National politics is increasingly overshadowing everything else, even as local government does more and more. Here’s how to right the balance.
Iran’s women were the Islamic Republic’s first target for repression. This is the newest chapter in their struggle to win back their rights.
The Kremlin’s order to call up Russians to fight in Ukraine risks massive protests. It’s the riskiest decision of Putin’s rule, and it could lead to his undoing.
Iranians are once again flooding the streets in protest. How is this wave of demonstrations different?
The last Soviet leader brought down his regime and ended the Cold War. The free world owes him a debt of gratitude.
The country’s military is advancing on the battlefield. If Ukraine defeats Russia’s massive army, the ripple effects will be felt across the globe.
Mikhail Gorbachev risked everything. Neither Russia nor the West could live up to his vision.
Afghanistan taught us that a firehose of unaccountable aid can destroy a country’s democratic future. In Ukraine, we are making the same mistake all over again.
The military has spent decades trying to impose order on Pakistani politics. It has led to chaos.
Establishment parties are flagging. They should learn from political disruptors.
Across Latin America, former leaders are keeping a chokehold on their countries’ politics. It’s time their successors break free.
It is tempting to believe the horrors of the past will not haunt our future. Vladimir Putin is proving that we hold such beliefs at our peril.
While widespread violence or civil war was averted, the consequences for Russia—and Putin—could be grave.
The more determined democracies are to avoid war, the greater the risk that autocracies will wage it.
In a matter of weeks, the Russian autocrat has erased his country’s prosperity in a feckless attempt to rebuild a doomed empire.
How does a Russian autocrat celebrate Victory Day while losing a war? Expect lies, myths, and propaganda.
Why we must tackle the threat posed by Putin and his authoritarianism head on.
Marine Le Pen has remade her image to obscure her far-right populism. There is a real risk French voters won’t see through it.
Why Emmanuel Macron’s reelection hangs on him winning support from the very people he has ignored most.
Russia’s autocrat may be weakened, but his grip on power is greater than many people realize.
The system that Russia’s autocrat built wasn’t designed to survive the pressures it is now facing.
Ukraine doesn’t just deserve EU membership. Its bid could revive and reunify Europe.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has given the world’s democrats a renewed sense of unity and purpose. Putin’s reckless gamble may unexpectedly strengthen democracy in Europe and beyond.
Russian rockets are targeting Ukrainian journalists’ ability to report the news, but the country’s media is finding new ways to stay on the air.
Forget his excuses. Russia’s autocrat doesn’t worry about NATO. What terrifies him is the prospect of a flourishing Ukrainian democracy.
If the West forces Kyiv to accept Putin’s diplomatic terms, he will have succeeded without firing a shot.
Tunisia’s president is looking to strengthen his chokehold on the country.
Thousands took to the streets to protest. While the regime promises to listen, its actions make clear: Dissent will not be tolerated.
The country just got a new chance to restore its democratic transition. Here’s how they can ensure that Sudan stays on the right path.