Democracy Lab Weekly Brief, May 13, 2013

In a rebuttal to a recent article by Dalibor Rohac and Marian L. Tupy, Christina Chang argues that the World Bank’s Doing Business report needs to be reformed.

Anna Nemtsova reports from Moscow’s Bolotnaya Square, where opposition activists are returning to demand that President Putin step down.

David Scott Mathieson calls for Burma’s president, Thein Sein, to put the military on a leash.

Juan Nagel explains to Venezuela’s new president why tackling inflation is crucial.

Daniel Lansberg-Rodriguez offers some free advice to Arab Spring democrats on the do’s and don’ts of constitution-writing.

Joshua Foust reviews Philip Shishkin’s new book on the tumultuous politics of Central Asia.

In our latest collaboration with Princeton’s Innovations for Successful Societies, Gabriel Kuris details Latvia’s efforts to crack down on corruption.

Meriem Dhaouadi assails the persistent racism against dark-skinned Africans in Tunisia.

Mohamed Eljarh warns that by bowing to militiamen that Libya is seriously undermining its fledgling democracy. 

And now for this week’s recommended reads:

Writing in The Atlantic, Thor Halvorssen reveals how the Human Rights Foundation pulled off its Argo-esque plan to rescue Bahraini dissident blogger Ali Abdulemam.

The International Crisis Group assesses the impact of the Syrian war on its neighbor Lebanon.

The International Center for Transitional Justice hails the conviction of former Guatemalan dictator José Efrain Ríos Montt on genocide charges. In the photo above, Efrain Ríos Montt listens to his sentence being read out.

A United Nations affiliate, offers guidelines for foreign businesses investing in Burma on how to consult with affected groups.

Writing at Dr. Sean’s Diary, Seán Hanley argues that technocrats are threatening democracy in Eastern Europe.

In Dawn, Murtaza Haider praises Pakistanis for making it to the polls in spite of well-founded fears of violence.

Writing for Tunisia Live, Roua Khlifi explains how Tunisian Sufis are safeguarding their traditions in the face of rising threats from ultraconservative Wahhabi Muslims.

And finally, be sure to check out Bird of Chaman, Flower of the Khyber: Riding Shotgun from Karachi to Kabul in a Pakistani Truck, FP‘s new ebook, detailing a reporter’s wild journey in the back of a Pakistani truck from Karachi to Kabul through the treacherous Afghanistan-Pakistan borderlands. It’s available here and on Amazon.