Freedom

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Hopes for peaceful change have been replaced by sectarian animosity and unending bloodshed.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

The 10 Worst Countries for Journalists

Freedom House ranks the world's most repressive media climates.

BY ARCH PUDDINGTON | MAY 1, 2013

Freedom's March

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

MAY/JUNE 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

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

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

Russia’s Digital Underground

How the Kremlin is waging war on information freedom.

BY ANDREI SOLDATOV, IRINA BOROGAN | APRIL 5, 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

After Mandela

There will never be another Nelson Mandela, but maybe that’s just what South Africa needs to save itself from ruin.

BY ROY ROBINS | MARCH 29, 2013

The Dead Man's Trial

The posthumous trial of an anti-corruption crusader.

BY ANNA NEMTSOVA | MARCH 22, 2013

The Tip of the Democracy Spear

The U.S. military doesn’t exactly have an unblemished record when it comes to promoting democracy. Is there a way to change that?

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL | MARCH 21, 2013

Leaning Out

How the United States is abandoning Afghanistan's women.

BY AMIE FERRIS-ROTMAN | 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

Not All Elections Are Worthy of the Name

Sorry, John Kerry and Chuck Hagel. Just because Iran holds elections doesn’t mean that its government represents the people.

BY JEFFREY GEDMIN | MARCH 1, 2013

The Brotherhood vs. the Free Press

Egypt's new rulers are determined to tighten their grip on the media scene in Cairo. I should know -- they had me fired.

BY HANI SHUKRALLAH | MARCH 1, 2013

The Kingdom of No Surprises

The more things change in Saudi Arabia, the more they remain the same.

BY MICHAEL STEPHENS | FEBRUARY 19, 2013

The Curse of Stability in Central Asia

The autocrats of Central Asia like to tout the virtues of stability. But they're really making excuses for decay.

BY SARAH KENDZIOR | FEBRUARY 19, 2013

Gay Paris

What has taken France so long to step up to the altar of equality?

BY ERIC PAPE | FEBRUARY 12, 2013

Capitol Indifference

Washington ignores Russia's obsession with America at its own peril.

BY DMITRI TRENIN | FEBRUARY 1, 2013

Our Man in Havana

Was USAID planning to overthrow Castro?

BY PETER KORNBLUH | JANUARY 25, 2013

Putting Freedom Back on the Agenda

Now is no time for America to go wobbly on democracy.

BY DAVID J. KRAMER, ARCH PUDDINGTON | JANUARY 15, 2013

China's Press Freedom Goes South

Will Southern Weekly's protest against censorship change the face of journalism in China?

BY ANNIE ZHANG | JANUARY 11, 2013

A Network of Dictators

There's a fight brewing for the future of the Internet.

BY JAMES A. LEWIS | DECEMBER 21, 2012

Nothing Is Written

The triumph of democracy isn't inevitable. It has to be fought for.

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL | DECEMBER 19, 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

Access Denied

The United Nations couldn't control the Internet even if it wanted to.

BY JOHN ARQUILLA | DECEMBER 10, 2012

Back to the (Soviet) Future

Dear Vladimir Putin, I'm a human rights activist, not a spy.

BY TANYA LOKSHINA | DECEMBER 5, 2012

Barbarians at the Gate

Are Russia and China trying to take over the Internet? Probably. But so far they aren't having much luck.

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL | DECEMBER 5, 2012

Ultimate Sacrifice

What's the difference between self-immolators and suicide bombers?

BY MICHAEL BIGGS | DECEMBER 3, 2012

Heroes of Retreat, Revisited

We love to celebrate heroic crusaders for human rights. But what about the dictator who decides to surrender his powers?

BY CHRISTIAN CARYL | NOVEMBER 30, 2012