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Sorry guys, since I am not in this class anymore and I am still posting; however, I thought this article was particularly fascinating given the rise of China and the fall of authoritarian regimes across the Middle East. This article can help to answer some of the questions being raised about whether long-oppressed nations can modernize, and if they may or may not need a monitored strongman to help that process.

Thanks, Matthew!

Doesn't Venezuela already have tons of oil?

"Some democratic countries like Turkey, which has a growing relationship with China, were not invited to the gathering, while democracies with authoritarian tendencies like far-right Jair Bolsonaro's Brazil and Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi's India, which has antagonistic ties with Beijing, were included.  Turkey is both a NATO ally and the Middle East's most powerful democracy. But for Washington, it is not Turkey's democratic system but the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's more independent political mindset - which sees no problem acquiring Russian S-400s against Washington's protests due to Turkey's air defence needs - that is a problem. "

MOSCOW - When the Russian authorities began a series of investigations this spring into the business affairs of a prominent opposition lawmaker, it was widely viewed as thinly veiled political retribution. But in a sign of how quickly the tables can now be flipped in such disputes, allies of the politician, Gennady V.

This article concerns attempts by Russian lawmakers to target opposition party members who they believe have violated Duma policy by "engaging in business or other paid activities". The controversy over the hypocrisy present in the aforementioned investigations sheds light on a question that interests me greatly: will Russia's corrupt and billionaire-driven government be sustainable in the long term? This particular case also raises questions about the mechanisms used by the ruling party, United Russia, in maintaining control over the Russian government.

This article also speaks to political culture, a key part of comparative politics analysis. Russia's transition to democracy has been halting, and many CoPo scholars say this is because Russia has a civic (and by extension political) culture that is used to authoritarianism of one sort or another. The notion of rule by democratic law is taking a long time to take hold. Is this explanation adequate? Compared to other countries?

Russians head to the polls in what is expected to be an easy victory for the ruling United Russia Party. The power of the opposition parties has been significantly reduced thanks to crackdowns on political dissent by Putin and his government. It is interesting to watch Russia fall into authoritarianism while many lesser developed countries are moving towards democracy.

I wonder what it will take for Eastern European "democracies" to hold relatively fair elections (thinking of Belarus here as an example). Based on the corruption detailed in the article, it seems that dictator presidents kind of filled the vacuum left by the fall of the USSR and people haven't been able to break their iron hold since.

Yes, lots of corruption. Yet the 2004-05 orange revolution in Ukraine led to a time of high participation democracy. It's a mixed bag of mostly corrupt regimes, some more so than others, Russia the worst.

While throwing an egg at Macron is still obviously illegal in France, it is interesting to compare how an act like that would be punished in a more authoritarian government.

Since Bolsonaro has take charge of Brazil, every aspect of political life has depleted into nothing. And many people comparing him to Donald Trump.

This article discusses how the Brazilian president is similar to Trump in his rejection of other governmental authorities and dictator-like actions, but these trends to authoritarianism began as early as the 1980s as the military gained political influence and far-right groups gained power in other countries.

Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman, is accused in the U.S. of siphoning millions from programs intended to help the needy in Venezuela.

Belarus is one of the last remaining authoritarian regimes in Europe, and have begun a crackdown on opposition movements in recent years. Freedom House ranks them very low for Political Rights and Civil Liberties, and recently, the main opposition leader was arrested and hospitalized from prison after suffering serious injuries.

Maria Kalesnikava. . . . what guts! "Kalesnikava was arrested last September and taken to the border, where she was told to leave the country. Instead, she reportedly ripped up her passport, risking prison rather than going into exile." She was charged with conspiracy to seize power, calling for action to damage national security, and calling for actions damaging national security using media and the internet. At the same court hearing, the lawyer Maxim Znak, another member of the opposition council's leadership, was given a 10-year prison sentence on similar charges. He had gone on hunger strike while awaiting trial to protest against the charges against him. "We demand the immediate release of Maria and Maksim, who aren't guilty of anything," wrote Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, an opposition leader who ran for president against Lukashenko. She is based in Lithuania and cannot return to the country without facing arrest.