Democracy

U.S. Capitol siege a ‘wake-up call’ for democracies
11
Jan
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U.S. Capitol siege a ‘wake-up call’ for democracies

PEJOURNAL - The European Union’s top diplomat said on Sunday that last week’s siege of the U.S. Capitol exposed the dangers of allowing the degradation of democratic values to go unchecked and disinformation to spread on social media. “What we saw on Wednesday was only the climax of very worrying developments happening globally in recent years. It must be a wake-up call for all democracy advocates,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a blog post. “Everybody needs to understand that if we accept setbacks after setbacks, even if they seem minor, democracy and its values and institutions can…
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Foreign Affairs: Democracy Versus the Pandemic
16
Jun
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Foreign Affairs: Democracy Versus the Pandemic

The Coronavirus Is Emboldening Autocrats the World Over By Larry Diamond PEJOURNAL - In late March, Philippine strongman Rodrigo Duterte rammed a bill through his country’s parliament that granted him vastly expanded emergency powers, ostensibly to fight the novel coronavirus. The bill authorized Duterte to reallocate the national budget as he saw fit and to personally direct hospitals. “Do not challenge the government,” he bellowed in a menacing televised address. “You will lose.” Six days later, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban pushed even more expansive emergency legislation through his rubber-stamp parliament, enabling him to suspend existing laws, decree new ones,…
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