Building Global Democracy

Controversy may continue to rage about how and why the Russian political system has reached its current state, but it is not hard to say what that state is. Much of the confusion about the proper definition to attach to Russia's regime and those resemblin

Like a doctor diagnosing a patient's disease before attempting treatment, one must understand the Putin regime in order to cure the dangerous infection that it has become. The idea that this Russian government is still a mystery, however, let alone a Chur

Broadly understood, Russia is another one of the many hybrid regimes that hover in the "gray zone" between liberal democracy and autocracy. In recent years, it has moved so close to full-fledged autocracy that the democratic element, without being fully f

The same policies that fostered decades of prosperity in Singapore have also led to longer-term economic ills that might have been averted in a freer society.

The secularization hypothesis has failed, and failed spectacularly. We must find a new paradigm to help us understand the complexities of the relationship between religion and democracy.

SUVA, Fiji- On Friday, President Ratu Josefa Iloilo abrogated the 1997 Constitution, appointed himself head of state, revoked all judicial appointments, and announced that all existing laws remain. President Iloilo said he would appoint the interim gover

THE HAGUE, Apr 10 (IPS) - A delegation of seven British Labour members of parliament and 10 trade union leaders from the U.S., Canada and Britain said they were in a "state of shock" over what they heard during a week-long fact-finding mission to Colombia

BANGKOK, Apr 12 (IPS) - The dramatic scenes that unfolded at a regional summit forcing its cancellation Apr. 11 point to a disturbing possibility that this kingdom is heading for a long period of turmoil - pitting the conservative political establishment

SANTIAGO, Apr 10 (IPS) - Over 70 percent of community leaders in Chilean shanty towns are women. Their average age is 42, and most of them do not identify with any political party. Forty-five percent believe that the prevailing economic system makes the r

SUVA, Fiji - US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, is calling on Fiji's interim government to restore democracy and hold elections this year. At the last meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum, the group of representatives from around the South Pacific set

The National Endowment for Democracy "must continue to serve as a focal point for U.S. democracy assistance to non-state actors," according to a new report. Democracy promotion should remain a priority on the foreign policy agenda but reforms are required

For Roberge, my concept of "problematisation" denies the existence of a real money-laundering problem. Below I will argue that, yes, this is exactly what the concept implies, and that his argument of why money-laundering is an objective problem does not c

Constructivist scholars have brought many new insights to the study of global politics. Rainer Hlsse wants to build on this knowledge in "Creating Demand for Global Governance: The Making of a Global Money-laundering Problem".1 In the article he argues th

In early March 2009, a group of more than 100 experts and scholars from the United States and the Muslim world issued an open letter to President Barack Obama, urging him to make support for democracy in the middle east a top priority. The letter - conven

In these countries, the US must take concrete measures to promote human rights and reform. In conjunction with European partners, a far more detailed and extensive program of scholarships, technical expertise assistance, civic education, English language

WASHINGTON, Apr 7 (IPS) - Human rights groups welcomed the conviction of former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison Tuesday on charges of murder and kidnapping.

ASUNCION, Apr 7 (IPS) - The global tendency towards greater participation by women in politics has reached Paraguay, but the pace continues to be set by men, and there are still tough barriers to equal access to elected posts.

Democracy has become a truly universal value and pursuit. Yet although international instruments, norms and standards continually reinforce democratic principles, achieving them remains a daunting challenge across the world. The continued lack of gender e

Looking back at the mass incidents over the recent few years, one can find a fluctuating curve: Before 2005 it trended upward, was down a bit in 2006 and 2007, and rose again in 2008. What can we make of these trends? Faced with the same facts, different

The Group of 20's pledges of trade finance and aid for trade are too vague, according to the editors of the e-book ''Rebuilding Global Trade'', published last week. And the London summit of this group of developed and developing economies last week failed