Elections

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

Janus in Islamabad

Is Pakistan's once and likely future prime minister someone the United States can work with?

BY EMILY CADEI | MAY 11, 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

Swampland

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

BY ANNA NEMTSOVA | MAY 8, 2013

The Rise of Germany's Tea Party

Could a brand-new, anti-euro political movement threaten Merkel's quest for a third term?

BY BENJAMIN WEINTHAL | MAY 2, 2013

Tea Leaves in Tashkent

Who will follow Uzbekistan’s aging dictator?

BY PHILIP SHISHKIN | MAY 2, 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

The End of the Gandhis

Can Rahul Gandhi run India? Can anybody?

BY JAMES TRAUB | MAY/JUNE 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

Hollow Victory

In the wake of Venezuela's contested election, will Nicolás Maduro bring the fractured country together or tear it apart?

BY PETER WILSON | APRIL 15, 2013

Divorce, Italian Style

How the plan to save Italy by cutting it into pieces was hatched at a small restaurant in Rome. Or so one could imagine…

BY GIANNI RIOTTA | APRIL 12, 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

An Election for the Birds

As Venezuelans head to the polls to replace Hugo Chávez, a crazy campaign takes a turn toward the truly bizarre.

BY PETER WILSON | 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

The Ayatollah in His Labyrinth

The competing forces in Iran's political system are poised to collide in this summer's presidential election.

BY ABBAS MILANI | APRIL 4, 2013

From Princeton to Persia

Meet the American who wants to be Ahmadinejad.

BY KATIE CELLA | APRIL 1, 2013

The Long Shadow

Venezuela’s upcoming election features a young challenger against Hugo Chávez’s appointed successor -- who’s doing everything in his power to make the race about his dead boss.

BY PETER WILSON | MARCH 22, 2013

Policing Electoral Violence in India

How India's elections administration used “vulnerability mapping” to stop trouble before it happened.

BY MICHAEL SCHARFF | MARCH 21, 2013

In Power, But Not in Control

The Muslim Brotherhood may have the votes -- for now -- but Egypt is a ship without a rudder.

BY ERIC TRAGER | MARCH 21, 2013

The Kenyatta Affair

What Kenya and its allies can learn from Austria’s Nazi legacy.

BY JAMES VERINI | MARCH 20, 2013

Why the Color Revolutions Failed

Toppling dictators isn't enough. Successful revolutions also embrace the rule of law.

BY MELINDA HARING, MICHAEL CECIRE | MARCH 18, 2013

Pakistan’s Wildcard

The mysterious Pakistani-Canadian cleric is back, and he’s shaking up the country’s politics.

BY DANIEL MARKEY | MARCH 14, 2013

Cooling Ethnic Conflict in Guyana's Elections

Guyana's 2001 presidential election left the country deeply divided along ethnic lines. In 2006, they decided to try something new.

BY VARANYA CHAUBEY, AMY MAWSON, GABRIEL KURIS | MARCH 13, 2013

The Tangled Tale of Malaysia's Dirty Battleground State

How an ex-British prime minister’s sister-in-law, a headhunter’s grandson, dodgy PR firms, and a Malaysian kingpin are colliding in a fight over the future of democracy.

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL | MARCH 13, 2013

Kenya's Most Wanted

The United States must find a way to work with its East African ally, even if it's run by an accused perpetrator of crimes against humanity.

BY SUZANNE NOSSEL | MARCH 12, 2013

The Empire Makes Nice

Is it time for a Venezuela reset?

BY MICHAEL SHIFTER | MARCH 11, 2013

Political Tremors in the Caucasus

There’s a distinct whiff of desire for political change wafting through the Caucasus.

BY THOMAS DE WAAL | MARCH 8, 2013