Democracy Lab Weekly Brief, January 13, 2015

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have been protesting weekly against their government’s plans to overhaul—and weaken—the country’s judiciary. Several former military officials have ...Show moreaccused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of a judicial power grab, raising the question of whether serving officers will disobey what they might see as an illegitimate government. How will Israel’s constitutional crisis develop? What happens if an internal mutiny actually takes place? And how does the United States continue its partnership with a country it once lauded as the sole democracy in the Middle East? Ehud Barak, Israel’s former prime minister, who also served as the country’s defense minister and army chief, will join FP’s Ravi Agrawal for a live discussion about the future of Israel’s democracy and what happens next in the current standoff.

Every year, the top Chinese legislative and advisory bodies meet for two weeks to rubber-stamp decisions already made by the Chinese Communist Party. It’s called the “two sessions,” ...Show moreand it began on March 4. This year’s meeting is the first since the end of zero-COVID restrictions; it’s also an opportunity to get an inside look into the Chinese leadership’s fears and priorities. Beyond the headlines, what can the world expect from the convening? What will it mean for China’s economy, defense budget, and foreign policy? Join FP’s Ravi Agrawal in conversation with a panel of China experts as they decipher the news from Beijing: Ryan Hass is the former China director at the National Security Council under President Barack Obama and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, Zongyuan Zoe Liu is an FP columnist and fellow for international political economy at the Council on Foreign Relations, and James Palmer is a deputy editor at Foreign Policy and the author of the magazine’s China Brief newsletter.

Russia has gone from one mobilization to the next, burning through equipment and ammunition faster than it can replace it—even resorting to the recruitment of prisoners to fight its drawn-...Show moreout war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Kyiv has received a major infusion of military aid from the West in the last three months. What are its chances of success in a forthcoming offensive? Join FP’s Ravi Agrawal for a discussion with James Stavridis, a retired four-star U.S. Navy admiral and NATO supreme allied commander. Tune in for a wide-ranging discussion on Russia and Ukraine’s military options; the respective roles of Europe, the United States, and China; and more.