Drawing on the insights of some twenty-five leading Western and Middle Eastern scholars, Islam and Democracy in the Middle East highlights the dualistic and often contradictory nature of political liberalization. Political liberalization—as managed by the state—not only opens new spaces for debate and criticism, but is also used as a deliberate tactic to avoid genuine democratization.
The battle for democracy within Russia will largely be won or lost by internal forces. In the margins, however, the United States can help to tilt the balance in favor of those who support freedom. While many issues in U.S.-Russian relations should be tackled principally and primarily by the executive branch, democracy promotion is one issue in which the U.S. Congress should take an active role.
Jessica Mathews, president of the Carnegie Endowment, has returned from a Department of Defense-sponsored trip to Iraq. She joined Carnegie colleagues for a briefing. Read transcript.
While Ukraine could be considered a democratic country, the current period is crucial to its future political development and the entrenchment of democracy. The Parliament will play a decisive role in determining what kind of state Ukraine will be and in structuring the domestic and international agenda.
Listen to a panel discussion with Thomas L. Friedman, Adel Abdellatif, and Gilles Kepel.