Democracy

What I Left Out

I wrote a book about 1979, but I left out the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. Here’s why.

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL | MAY 24, 2013

The Optimist’s Case for Yemen

Her country is in turmoil. But Yemen’s Nobel Peace Prize Laureate believes that the revolution can still succeed.

BY JEFF GEDMIN | MAY 22, 2013

Too Fast, Too Soon

Why Obama's embrace of Myanmar is putting the cart before the horse.

BY JOSHUA KURLANTZICK | MAY 21, 2013

Texas Hold 'Em in Tehran

Can the Supreme Leader bluff and bully his way to getting what he wants in Iran’s crucial upcoming presidential election?

BY YASMIN ALEM | MAY 21, 2013

Are We Becoming Argentina?

The Republican Party is taking America down a dangerous path.

BY DANIEL ALTMAN | MAY 20, 2013

Bassem Youssef Isn't Joking Around

The Egyptian satirist stands on the front lines of Egypt’s culture wars.

BY DAVID KENNER | MAY 20, 2013

J-School in the Land of the Junta

Can Burma build a free media or will the government’s new soft-sell propaganda win out?

BY DUSTIN ROASA | MAY 20, 2013

The 'Cold Peace' Between Moscow and Washington Just Got Colder

The arrest of the alleged CIA agent in Moscow looks like a joke. But it actually illustrates just how tense U.S.-Russian relations have become.

BY ANNA NEMTSOVA | MAY 15, 2013

It’s a Nice Place to Visit, But I Wouldn’t Want to Be a Reporter There

How did Turkey become the world's leading jailer of journalists?

BY CHRISTOPHE DELOIRE, JOEL SIMON | MAY 15, 2013

Too Many Stakeholders Spoil the Soup

Broadening global governance of the Internet sounds like a reasonable aim, but it’s actually cover for some very undemocratic behavior.

BY ELI DOURADO | MAY 15, 2013

'We Are Not Fanatic Killers'

In an exclusive conversation with Khaled Meshaal, the Hamas chief talks about how Assad should have listened to his advice, and why he’s not “bloodthirsty” or “against” Jews.

BY DAVID KENNER | MAY 14, 2013

Sharifistan

The winner of Pakistan’s monumental election can celebrate democracy in action, but there’s still a long way to go.

BY ARIF RAFIQ | MAY 13, 2013

Pakistan’s Rollercoaster Election

Is this a generationally significant change of power, or more of the same dysfunction?

BY MICHAEL KUGELMAN | MAY 10, 2013

It's Morning in Islamabad

Yes, it’s broke, violent, and tumultuous. But here are five reasons Pakistan is better off than you think.

BY MOSHARRAF ZAIDI | MAY 10, 2013

A Turbulent Valley in a Turbulent Decade

A Review of Restless Valley: Revolution, Murder, and Intrigue in the Heart of Central Asia by Philip Shishkin. 

BY JOSHUA FOUST | MAY 9, 2013

Morsy and the Muslims

Is Egypt’s government getting more Islamist?

BY SHADI HAMID | MAY 8, 2013

Swampland

One year later, Russia’s diminished opposition returns to Bolotnaya Square.

BY ANNA NEMTSOVA | MAY 8, 2013

It's Time for Burma's President to Act

The civil war in Burma goes on. But the government seems powerless to stop it.

BY DAVID SCOTT MATHIESON | MAY 7, 2013

Four Arab Democrats and a Constitutional Scholar Walk Into a Bar

Some free advice for my MENA friends.

BY DANIEL LANSBERG-RODRIGUEZ | MAY 6, 2013

Outfoxing the Oligarchs in Latvia

How a tiny Baltic republic succeeded in taking its oligarchs down a peg.

BY GABRIEL KURIS | MAY 6, 2013

How Syria Ruined the Arab Spring

Hopes for peaceful change have been replaced by sectarian animosity and unending bloodshed.

BY MARC LYNCH | MAY 3, 2013

Ghostbusters

Malaysia’s pro-democracy activists might not win Sunday’s election. But they could win the battle against electoral fraud.

BY DEBORAH LOH | APRIL 30, 2013

8 Myths About India's Growth

On closer inspection, the Indian miracle turns out to be pretty ordinary after all.

BY DANIEL ALTMAN | APRIL 29, 2013

The End of the Gandhis

Can Rahul Gandhi run India? Can anybody?

BY JAMES TRAUB | MAY/JUNE 2013

Hacktivism: A Short History

How self-absorbed computer nerds became a powerful force for freedom. 

BY TY MCCORMICK | MAY/JUNE 2013

You Can't Go Home Again

An exiled journalist returns to a changed Burma.

BY MIN ZIN | MAY/JUNE 2013

Freedom's March

History might not be ending, but democracy is still gaining ground.

MAY/JUNE 2013

Why the Sheikhs Will Fall

The Gulf monarchies were once thought immune to the uprisings sweeping the Arab world. Not anymore.

BY CHRISTOPHER M. DAVIDSON | APRIL 26, 2013

Well, This Is Awkward

How Pervez Musharraf's foolish return to Pakistan is creating problems for the United States.

BY DANIEL MARKEY | APRIL 25, 2013

YaLa Young Leaders

How a Facebook organization could transform the Middle East.

BY AARON DAVID MILLER | APRIL 24, 2013