Democracy Lab

Vendetta Politics in Georgia

Georgia is succombing to a disease that plagues other post-Soviet countries: Newly elected leaders' urge to crack down on their predecessors.

BY ANNA NEMTSOVA | MAY 24, 2013

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

The Prickly Politics of Aid

Development aid is inherently political - and that's not a bad thing.

BY THOMAS CAROTHERS, DIANE DE GRAMONT | MAY 21, 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

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

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

No More Doing Business As Usual

Why World Bank President Jim Yong Kim is right to subject the Bank’s global business report to fresh scrutiny.

BY CHRISTINA CHANG | MAY 9, 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

Finally, Good News from Haiti

Haiti is no economic success story. But that may be about to change.

BY ROBERT LOONEY | 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

They Were 'Gentle, Loving, and Tender, Like Girls'

A conversation with the mother of the Tsarnaevs.

BY ANNA NEMTSOVA | APRIL 26, 2013

It's Not Business As Usual At the World Bank

The improbable controversy over the World Bank's flagship business survey.

BY DALIBOR ROHAC, MARIAN L. TUPY | APRIL 26, 2013

Weren't Buddhists Supposed to Be Pacifists?

Their religion may stress peace, but some Buddhists are showing that they’re entirely capable of violence in the name of faith.

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL | APRIL 23, 2013

The Monks Who Hate Muslims

Buddhist monks have been major instigators of the recent violence against Muslims in Burma.

BY FRANCIS WADE | APRIL 22, 2013

The Invisible War

Russians weren't paying much attention to their own war on terror. But that was before the attacks in Boston.

BY ANNA NEMTSOVA | APRIL 19, 2013

Why I'm Flying Back to Malaysia to Vote

When absentee voting just isn’t good enough.

BY HUI MEI LIEW KAISER | APRIL 18, 2013

Cramming for That Next Big Test in Democracy

In Burma, members of the pro-democracy opposition are struggling to school themselves in the ins and outs of a liberal society. But so far it's an uphill battle.

BY ERIC RANDOLPH | APRIL 16, 2013

Why Bart Simpson Drives the Venezuelan Authorities Nuts

Venezuela's leaders give new meaning to the phrase “¡Ay, Caramba!”

BY THOR HALVORSSEN , GARRY KASPAROV | APRIL 12, 2013

Russia's Olympic City

Russia is pushing ahead with its projects for the 2014 Winter Olympics. But not everyone is happy.

BY ANNA NEMTSOVA | APRIL 11, 2013

Bahrain's Continuing War on Doctors

The Bahraini government needs to stop targeting medical professionals who dare to treat injured protesters. 

BY RULA AL-SAFFAR | APRIL 10, 2013

The Princess of Reform

Why the daughter of Malaysia’s opposition leader embodies the hopes of the democratic reform movement.

BY DEBORAH LOH | APRIL 10, 2013

Ten Questions for the New BRICS Bank

The great emerging markets want to start their own bank. But it doesn't seem like they've really thought it through.

BY ISOBEL COLEMAN | APRIL 9, 2013

Why Dictators Don’t Like Jokes

Pro-democracy activists around the world are discovering that humor is one of the most powerful weapons in the fight against authoritarianism.

BY SRDJA POPOVIC, MLADEN JOKSIC | APRIL 5, 2013

Mongolia's Growing Pains

Mongolia's blue skies may soon be darkening. A key challenge: Putting the mining companies in their place. 

BY PETER MURRELL | APRIL 5, 2013

Make Way for the Hybrids

Yes, institutions are important. But institutions that actually work are even better.

BY MATT ANDREWS | APRIL 2, 2013

The Chechen Boss

Chechnya’s president is building power in Russia. And his thugs aren't listening to the FSB.

BY ANNA NEMTSOVA | APRIL 1, 2013