Democracy Impacts

Politico: EU Spy Probe Sending Shockwaves Through Brussels

January 17, 2020

According to Politico, news of an investigation into a former senior EU diplomat suspected of spying for China is sending shockwaves through Brussels' closely interlinked circles of lobbyists, officials and politicians.
Eilstrup-Sangiovanni and Hofmann Examine the Transformation of the Liberal International Order

January 08, 2020

Mette Eilstrup-Sangiovanni and Stephanie C. Hofmann write about the transformation of the liberal international order into a "broader, more inclusive system of global governance."
Sheran: Populism Will Evolve and Survive

January 08, 2020

In The Atlantic, Yasmeen Sheran writes about the evolution and long-term influence of populism.
Joint Report Explains Central European Vulnerability to Influence from Russia, China and Turkey

January 07, 2020

According to a report by Political Capital, a Hungarian think-tank, and the Prague Security Studies Institute, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia are "particularly vulnerable" to influence from Russia, China, and Turkey.
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.