Demonstrations against Abdelaziz Bouteflika have opened up a rare space for debate and self-expression – and could signal a change to a more free and involved civil society in Algeria.
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Articles on Authoritarianism
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Almost one-third of countries around the world are authoritarian regimes with the trappings of democracy. Their bad behavior poses a threat to real democracies, as the United States recently learned.
When an elected leader turns autocratic, the economy tends to suffer. That's because, in a functioning democracy, economic policy is made jointly, with lawmakers playing a key role.
A coup seems so imminent in Venezuela that people are debating whether Maduro's overthrow would be good or bad for Venezuelan democracy. But history suggests a coup may be less likely than it seems.
At least a dozen countries are supporting the Venezuelan opposition lawmaker Juan Guaidó, who has declared himself Venezuela's legitimate leader while President Maduro rejects calls to resign.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has transformed from a liberal into an authoritarian leader who uses the tools of democracy to attack civil society. Hungarians are protesting in the streets.
We asked experts on ethics, constitutional law and European political history to analyze Trump's Oval Office address. Here's what they heard in his speech about 'crisis' at the US-Mexico border.
Maduro, who was sworn in for his second term on Jan. 10, has rigged elections, jailed rivals and plunged Venezuela into crisis. But Trump's proposed 'military option' to remove him remains unpopular.
For decades, Bangladesh had a very vibrant – and highly political – rock scene. But the genre is struggling to survive the country's crackdown on dissent and increasing Islamic conservatism.
Critics say Trump's defense of Saudi Arabia in the Khashoggi affair betrays American values. But many presidents have cozied up to dictators, ignoring human rights abuses to serve US interests.
Nicaraguan migrants send over US$1 billion home each year. This money has played a changing role in domestic politics – first boosting the Ortega regime and, now, sustaining the uprising against him.
President Paul Biya's credibility and legitimacy are increasingly being tarnished, amid growing support for opposition candidates.
Fifty years ago, soldiers gunned down hundreds of student protesters in a Mexico City plaza. It was neither the first nor the last time Mexico's army would be deployed against its own citizens.
Living as a woman in North Korea can be psychologically and physically gruelling.
From press freedom to ethnic cleansing, Myanmar seems to be slipping backwards faster than ever.
The financial crisis provoked by the lira's fall isn't the true drama in Turkey. The real drama is a democratic transformation threatens the increasingly authoritarian president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
With its attempt to purge the country's courts of 40 percent of its judges, Poland's right-wing ruling party passed another milestone on the path towards establishment of a one-party state.
The Turkish election highlights the growing strength of Turkish opposition despite the defeat and approves of a president who could be weaker than he would like to appear.
A snap poll intended to boost the Turkish president's power has stirred up online opposition to his increasing authoritarianism.
Venezuela has freed 79 political prisoners in recent months, to global plaudits. But the hard-line regime has also charged 100 military officials with conspiracy. Does President Maduro fear overthrow?
Top contributors
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Chaired professor for Scholarship in the Public Interest in the Department of English and Cultural Studies, McMaster University
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Assistant Professor of Global Business, St Mary's College of California
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Senior Research Fellow, Coventry University
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Research Asistant, Université de Strasbourg
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Senior Lecturer in Organisation Studies, Department of People and Organisation, The Open University
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Professor, University of Essex
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Professor of Democracy, University of Birmingham
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PhD student, Université de Strasbourg
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Professor of Practice in Diplomacy, Tufts University
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Assistant Professor, School of Politics and International Relations, University College Dublin
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Associate Professor, Universidad Central de Venezuela
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Director of the Center for Political Studies, Andres Bello Catholic University (UCAB)
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Dennis Altman is a Friend of The Conversation.
Professorial Fellow in Human Security, La Trobe University
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Associate Professor of Politics, Australian Catholic University
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Professor of Peace-Building, Co-Director of Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations, Coventry University
