Latest Articles
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Democratic Backsliding in Mauritania: Challenges and Trends
This report examines recent political developments in Mauritania which show signs of democratic backsliding, with increasing restrictions on political freedoms and declining public trust in political institutions. In recent years, the country has witnessed attempts to introduce constitutional amendments allowing the extension of presidential terms, changes to electoral laws that have restricted the participation of…
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On the Erosion of Tunisia’s Once-Promising Democratisation Experiment
This report aims to examine the process of Tunisia’s autocratisation, which continues to reverse the gains from the 2011 Arab Spring. With receding civic freedoms and the rising tide of populist politics, there does not seem to be much room for democratic resilience and defence against democratic backsliding in Tunisia. The report provides a background…
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Democracy Lighthouse Digest #7
In this edition, Debasish Roy Chowdhury examines the emergence of authoritarian neoliberalism in India, and Jordan Ryan assesses the democratic degeneration in the United States a year into the second Trump administration. This issue also includes the latest book from Douglas Murray on “Democracy and Death Cults.” It concludes with a commentary from Professor Wolfgang…
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Iraq’s Precarious Political System: Consociationalism and Permanent Crisis
This report examines Iraq’s post-Saddam Hussein political order, a consociational arrangement known as muhasasah, or the apportionment of power resources among the country’s ethno-sectarian groups. Designed to accommodate societal diversity, muhasasah has become a fundamental flaw in Iraq’s political system. Instead of fostering national consensus, it has hardened ethno-sectarian identity politics, and has become synonymous…
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Egypt’s Divided Political Society and ‘Loyal Opposition’
This report analyses Egypt’s opposition, which has failed to rise up to the challenge of being a democratic force in the country’s politics. Horizontal solidarity and mounting challenges to incumbent governments are currently missing components among opposition actors. The status quo reveals a situation in which the multitude of political parties, officially numbering 87, on…
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