democracy

How tribal power shapes politics in Iraqi Kurdistan

A deep investigation into the clan networks that bind Kurdistan’s political life In an investigation for Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, journalist Lujain Al-Sultani traces how tribal loyalties continue to shape every layer...

A lament for Yemen’s cultural renaissance

How a rich civic culture was built in Yemen in the 1970s and after, and how that legacy has been dismantled since the Houthi takeover, as archives, institutions, and freedoms...

Women at the frontline of Taiwan’s democratic renewal

From homemakers to activists, Taiwanese women have taken to the streets to protect their democracy from Beijing’s influence. Their movement is reshaping both the nation’s politics and the meaning of...

Inside Serbia’s Student Protest

Serbia’s largest student movement in decades is challenging President Vučić’s grip on power, demanding accountability and new elections amid violent crackdowns and waning EU criticism It’s the middle of summer,...

Journalism in Burkina Faso: “submit or disappear”

This spring, authorities in Burkina Faso kidnapped two leading figures of the country’s independent press in a chilling escalation of media repression “Like a seed that is sown, which germinates...

Legalise Comedy

Romania’s evolving political satire reveals what jokes can say and what they can’t In this thoughtful and subtly sharp essay, Romanian writer Dan Panaet traces the country’s long, awkward relationship...

Young People to the Rescue in Turkey?

Mass protests in Istanbul have rekindled old notions about the role of young people in political resistance to authoritarianism – but just below the surface there’s anxiety and fragmentation On...

Ethiopianism: A Political Agenda or a Four Kilo Entry Ticket?

A critical reflection on the hollowing out of a historic term, and a plea for its renewal In a nation where politics is dominated by questions of identity and social...

The People vs. Javier Milei

What recent pension clashes reveal about Javier Milei’s political project – and Argentina When Argentina is discussed in international news, it’s often as an economic basket case. (To what extent...

Dollars and Sense

Why the election of Donald Trump in the United States has turned into an existential crisis for independent media in Latin America How do democracies die? Quickly, or slowly? In...

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