Democracy

Fiscal Cliff: A Short History

How did the phrase become shorthand for Washington's embrace of budget brinkmanship?

BY URI FRIEDMAN | DECEMBER 18, 2012

'These Guys Are Thugs'

Opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei speaks exclusively to Foreign Policy on the Muslim Brotherhood and Egypt's political crisis.

Interview by DAVID KENNER | DECEMBER 18, 2012

The Brothers and the Gulf

Why the Muslim Brotherhood has Gulf leaders worried -- now more than ever.

BY SULTAN AL QASSEMI | DECEMBER 14, 2012

Europe's Pet Dictator

Parts of the old Soviet bloc have moved on. So why is Belarus still mired in despotism?

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL | DECEMBER 13, 2012

Born Free, But Not Indifferent

Yes the government should protect free speech. But that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t speak out.

BY COREY BRETTSCHNEIDER | DECEMBER 12, 2012

Yemen's Rocky Roadmap

Yemenis hope that a planned National Dialogue will save the revolution. But what abut the guys with the guns? 

BY ADAM BARON | DECEMBER 10, 2012

The Anti-Godfather

How a mayor set out to save a Sicilian city from neglect and Mafia influence.

BY LAURA BACON, RUSHDA MAJEED | DECEMBER 10, 2012

Don't Rush to Judgment on Georgia

The new Georgian government's arrests of oppositionists have critics crying foul. But they should let justice run its course.

BY MICHAEL CECIRE | DECEMBER 4, 2012

Obama's Moment

How the president can seize back the initiative on foreign policy.

BY ZBIGNIEW BRZEZINSKI | DECEMBER 3, 2012

Stop Talking About Civil Society

Using terms like "civil society" is a distraction from the real problems in authoritarian countries. 

BY SARAH KENDZIOR | DECEMBER 3, 2012

How to Cope with Windfall Wealth

Mongolia has been doing a remarkable job of managing a natural-resource bonanza. But dangers still lie ahead.

BY PETER MURRELL, CHULUUNBAT NARANTUYA | NOVEMBER 30, 2012

Georgian Dream Shows Its Dark Side

Georgia's president-elect is putting the country in strong danger of losing its hard won democracy.

BY JAMES KIRCHICK | NOVEMBER 29, 2012

The Dicey Democrat

How a pillar of the old regime in Burma is working to prove his democratic credentials.

BY WILLIAM LLOYD-GEORGE | NOVEMBER 28, 2012

'Beyond the Pale'

The Pentagon responds to Micah Zenko.

BY GEORGE LITTLE | NOVEMBER 28, 2012

Twice As Rice

Who said it: Condoleezza or Susan?

NOVEMBER 27, 2012

Who Shot A.A.?

Mauritanians are still wondering who fired a gun at their country’s president. What the latest whodunit tells us about the state of democracy in a strategic corner of West Africa.

BY ALEX THURSTON | NOVEMBER 27, 2012

Beware of Mirages

The Obama Administration is pursuing closer ties with the military in Burma -- a policy that could undermine efforts to build democracy.

BY ELLEN BORK | NOVEMBER 26, 2012

Can You Save Diplomacy From Itself?

Carne Ross's quixotic crusade to help emerging nations get their seat at the table.

BY CRISTINA ODONE | NOVEMBER 26, 2012

The Lady and the General

Meet the political odd couple driving democratic reform in Burma.

BY KURT M. CAMPBELL | DECEMBER 2012

A Change Is Gonna Come

Chen Guangcheng on freedom, violence, and the possibility of a revolution in China.

INTERVIEW BY ISAAC STONE FISH | DECEMBER 2012

Yes, Congress Is That Bad

America's unprecedented political paralysis is undermining the country at home and abroad.

BY THOMAS MANN, NORMAN ORNSTEIN | DECEMBER 2012

Turkey's Weakest Export

Turkey says it wants to be a model for democracy in the Middle East. But so far its actions lag behind its achievements.

BY GAMZE COŞKUN | NOVEMBER 21, 2012

Five Myths about the Chinese Internet

The Great Firewall is neither great, nor a firewall. Discuss.

BY EVELINE CHAO | NOVEMBER 20, 2012

Still Think Middle East Peace Doesn't Matter?

Gaza's radiating instability proves once again that Palestine is at the center of the region's problems.

BY STEVEN A. COOK | NOVEMBER 19, 2012

Dreams of Their Fathers

Cambodia's people want freedom. Can Obama deliver?

BY KAREN J. COATES | NOVEMBER 19, 2012

The Key to Bringing Democracy to China

It's naked self-interest, stupid.

BY YASHENG HUANG | NOVEMBER 19, 2012

Words Are Weapons of Mass Destruction

Why Hamas should watch its language.

BY DAVID KEYES | NOVEMBER 19, 2012

Zombie Versus Frankenstein

Now the beleaguered Syrian opposition has two umbrella groups vying for funds and recognition. Is that really going to help?

BY MALIK AL-ABDEH | NOVEMBER 15, 2012

Is Bashar al-Assad Syria’s Abraham Lincoln?

The Syrian president's fans are comparing him with the hero of America's Civil War. Here's why they're wrong.

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL | NOVEMBER 14, 2012

The Orangutan in a Tuxedo

The good news: Colombia is stable. The bad news: Colombia is stable.

BY JAMES A. ROBINSON | NOVEMBER 12, 2012