Saskia Brechenmacher, Shreya Joshi
{
"authors": [
"Saskia Brechenmacher"
],
"type": "legacyinthemedia",
"centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
"centers": [
"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
],
"collections": [
"Democracy and Governance"
],
"englishNewsletterAll": "democracy",
"nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
"primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"programAffiliation": "DCG",
"programs": [
"Democracy, Conflict, and Governance"
],
"projects": [],
"regions": [
"North Africa",
"Egypt",
"Southern, Eastern, and Western Africa",
"Russia"
],
"topics": [
"Democracy",
"Civil Society"
]
}Source: Getty
On Civil Society Under Attack
Governments are increasingly taking steps to shrink civil space and restrict the operations of civil society organizations. Both local operators and international actors must consider a response.
Source: ESAT Ethiopia
Speaking on ESAT Ethiopia, Carnegie’s Saskia Brechenmacher discussed the government-led attacks on the civil society sector in Russia, Egypt, and Ethiopia. She outlined how leaders like Vladimir Putin have used both legal and extralegal methods to restrict civil liberties with the aim of curbing domestic dissent. Within Ethiopia, she added, the government has ignored constitutionally-enshrined rights to free speech while violently targeting protestors.
About the Author
Senior Fellow, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program
Saskia Brechenmacher is a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program, where her research focuses on democratic erosion, gender, and civic activism in the United States and globally. She also serves on the board of the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law.
- Protests Like No Kings Can Only Go So Far to Stem AuthoritarianismCommentary
- Africa’s Democratic Kaleidoscope: Trends to Watch in 2026Article
Saskia Brechenmacher, Frances Z. Brown
Recent Work
Carnegie India does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
More Work from Carnegie India
- Is U.S. Foreign Policy Too Hostile to China?Commentary
Experts weigh in on whether the United States is too hostile toward China.
Stephen Wertheim, Evan S. Medeiros, Vijay Gokhale
- Intrusive Pandemic-Era Monitoring Is the Same Old Surveillance State, Not a New OneArticle
Governments around the world are turning to new forms of digital surveillance to monitor the spread of the coronavirus, though they are mostly using existing laws to do so.
Anirudh Burman
- Reintegrating Central AsiaCommentary
With contributors from various Central Asian nations and beyond, this issue of Seminar provides a selection of perspectives about the past, present, and future trajectory of Central Asia, and the growing role of external actors, particularly India, China, Russia, and the EU in this evolving and dynamic space.
Rhea Menon, Sharanya Rajiv, 64592
- Reintegrating Central Asia: The ProblemCommentary
The rise of China as an economic powerhouse in Asia, along with rapid globalization, has brought Central Asia back in the limelight as a bridge connecting the established markets of the West with the emerging markets of the East.
Rhea Menon, Sharanya Rajiv
- India and Russia: Connecting Eurasia And The Indo-PacificCommentary
The special and privileged strategic partnership between India and Russia now spans across both Eurasia and the Indo-Pacific.
Sharanya Rajiv, 64592