Democracy Lab Weekly Brief, August 12, 2013

Christian Caryl explains why a small town in Libya continues to defy the International Criminal Court’s demands for the handover of Muammar Qaddafi’s son. As part of his recent on-scene coverage from the country, Caryl also looks at Libyan society through the prism of the gridlock on its streets.  Mohamed Eljarh analyzes the rising threats ...

STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images
STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images
STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images

Christian Caryl explains why a small town in Libya continues to defy the International Criminal Court's demands for the handover of Muammar Qaddafi's son. As part of his recent on-scene coverage from the country, Caryl also looks at Libyan society through the prism of the gridlock on its streets. 

Christian Caryl explains why a small town in Libya continues to defy the International Criminal Court’s demands for the handover of Muammar Qaddafi’s son. As part of his recent on-scene coverage from the country, Caryl also looks at Libyan society through the prism of the gridlock on its streets. 

Mohamed Eljarh analyzes the rising threats against Libya’s female judges — and why they’re putting reform of the judiciary at risk. 

Anna Nemtsova explains why President Obama’s cancellation of his summit with his Russian counterpart is little more than a blip on Vladimir Putin’s radar.

Mohamed El Dahshan reports on Egyptians’ quixotic search for a political middle path. Dahshan also deconstructs the mass protests in Morocco over the "accidental" pardoning of a Spanish pedophile. 

Juan Nagel scrutinizes the opposition roadmap in Venezuela. 

Christopher Stephen tells the story of women soccer players from the Middle East and their struggle for the right to compete. 

And now for this week’s recommended reads: 

Blogging for the Prospect, Rachel Aspden ruminates on the deep divide between Egypt’s army and the Muslim Brotherhood. The International Crisis Group offers a report warning about the risk of rising violence in Egypt’s transition. 

The Atlantic Council’s Danya Greenfield and Brian Braun urge the Jordanian government to pay attention to its citizens’ grievances. 

Writing for PBS, Azmat Khan directs attention to Yemen’s challenges that haven’t been making headlines. 

At Foreign Affairs, Lindsay Benstead, Ellen M. Lust, and Jakob Wichmann survey public opinion on democracy and arrive at optimistic conclusions about the country’s future. The New Yorker‘s Jon Lee Anderson offers a far less optimistic take. 

Writing for The New York Review of Books Blog, Sarah Birke presents a memorable portrait of Damascus as it adapts to life amid civil war. 

The Center for Strategic and International Studies’ David Santoro argues that Burma needs to make good on its promises to rid itself of weapons of mass destruction. 

Mary Elizabeth King, writing for Waging Nonviolence, pays tribute to the world’s history of non-violent resistance.

The Telegraph presents a gallery of photos from the Eid clashes in Kashmir between Muslims and police. 

Christian Caryl is the former editor of Democracy Lab, published by Foreign Policy in partnership with Legatum Institute. Twitter: @ccaryl

Neha Paliwal is a former editorial assistant and researcher at Foreign Policy.

Read More On Democracy

More from Foreign Policy

The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.
The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.

America Is a Heartbeat Away From a War It Could Lose

Global war is neither a theoretical contingency nor the fever dream of hawks and militarists.

A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.
A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.

The West’s Incoherent Critique of Israel’s Gaza Strategy

The reality of fighting Hamas in Gaza makes this war terrible one way or another.

Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.
Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.

Biden Owns the Israel-Palestine Conflict Now

In tying Washington to Israel’s war in Gaza, the U.S. president now shares responsibility for the broader conflict’s fate.

U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.
U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.

Taiwan’s Room to Maneuver Shrinks as Biden and Xi Meet

As the latest crisis in the straits wraps up, Taipei is on the back foot.