Democracy Impacts

Applebaum: Putin's Remarks Constitute an Attempt to Undermine Poland's Influential Role in Eastern Europe

January 07, 2020

Writing in The Atlantic, Russian expert Anne Applebaum argues that the primary aim of Russian President Vladimir Putin's late December comments blaming Poland for the outbreak of World War II may have been to undermine Poland's status as the largest and most important of the Eastern European NATO members.
Ellyatt: Germany May Experience Brexit-like Disruption

January 01, 2020

According to Holly Ellyatt writing at CNBC.com, political instability in Germany, coupled with ongoing economy uncertainty, could mean that the disruption seen in the U.K. during its Brexit crisis could shift to Germany.
Bagnoli and Cerentola: "Identitarians" Changing Political Landscape in Europe

December 31, 2019

Writing in The Atlantic, in the context of the growth of the League in Italy, Lorenzo Bagnoli and Alessia Cerentola describe the young activists in Europe who identify as "identitarians," concerned primarily with the preservation of what they believe to be their societies' long-held identities.
Nahzi: Russian-backed Cyber Campaigns Disrupting Georgia Politics

December 31, 2019

Writing in The Hill, Fron Nahzi explains how, in the Republic of Georgia, Russian-backed cyber campaigns are driving wedges between people, "stoking fear and diverting attention from the sale of the country’s key assets — energy, transportation, communication — to Vladimir Putin's Russia."
Inazu: Right to Peaceful Assembly Is Under-appreciated

December 30, 2019

According to Washington University (St. Louis) Professor of Law and Religion, John Inazu, American political and cultural leaders too readily ignore the right of citizens to peacefully assemble, also a subject of recent debate among European law and policy analysts.
Espinoza-Pedraza: Centrists Should Acknowledge Validity of Some Populist Agenda Items

December 30, 2019

Writing about populism in Modern Diplomacy, Lisdey Espinoza Pedraza encourages centrists to distance themselves from their ideological preferences and acknowledge that there might be some degree of validity on what populists have put on the agenda rather than fully disregard them as a non-viable option.
US Security Chief Warns UK against Huawei

December 30, 2019

According to U.S. national security adviser, Robert O'Brien, giving the Chinese equipment supplier Huawei access to the U.K.'s 5G network would pose a risk to British intelligence serves.
Volkswagen to Fund Exploration of “Roots of Populism”

December 23, 2019

With rising populism often portrayed as one of the most pressing challenges for the future of national and EU democracies, Volkswagen Foundation is funding research at five European universities that will "explore the roots of populism by examining political, economic and sociological factors."
EU Countries Failing to Meet Military Spending Targets

December 16, 2019

According to a new report from the European Defence Agency, EU countries are failing to meet their own targets for coordinated military spending on everything from procurement to research.
Muzergues: Four Social Classes Redefining Europe’s Political Fault Lines

December 12, 2019

In an Emerging Europe article, Thibault Muzergues, author of The Great Class Shift, describes the four “dominant” social classes that are now redefining Europe's political fault lines: Urban and Liberal Creatives, Suburban Middle Class, White Working Class and the Millennials, each of which can be identified with specific political movements.