Democracy Lab Weekly Brief, October 19, 2015

To keep up with Democracy Lab in real time, follow us on Twitter and Facebook. 

Amy Mackinnon explains how Ukraine’s chaotic revolution has helped Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko tighten his grip on power.

Juan Nagel draws attention to the fate of Venezuela’s lesser-known political prisoners.

Alina Rocha Menocal and Pilar Domingo chronicle the progress made by Colombia’s women in the face of war and dislocation.

Elizabeth Iams Williamson and Loren Landau suggest that Europe and the United States heed South Africa’s tough lessons on refugee policy.

Nate Schenkkan explains the likely motives behind last week’s horrific terrorist attack in Turkey.

And now for this week’s recommended reads:

The latest issue of the Journal of Democracy is out. Check it out for stories on the rise of the poorest countries, the Leninist roots of Russian repression of civil society, how the media treated the Arab Spring, and more.

The BBC provides a useful backgrounder on the parliamentary elections currently under way in Egypt. Democracy International, a Washington-based firm that implements democracy development programs, announces cuts in its observation mission to the elections because Cairo has refused to grant visas to all of its members.

In the Washington Post’s Monkey Cage blog, Mark R. Beissinger, Amaney Jamal, and Kevin Mazur take a close look at how differences between Arab Spring revolutionaries in Egypt and Tunisia led these countries along very different paths.

Foreign Policy’s Maria Antonova reports on the foreigners who fought for Ukraine and who have been left in the lurch by its dysfunctional government. Also in FP, Michela Wrong asks why Western countries keep funding corrupt elections in Africa.

In the Guardian, Natalie Nougayrede argues that Europe should reach out to help Turkey, whose role in accepting millions of refugees has gone largely acknowledged. Also in the Guardian, Wagner Moura highlights the plight of the world’s 21 million slaves — many of them in the West.

The World Peace Foundation’s Bridget Conley explains why it’s time to start negotiating an end to the war in Syria.

In the Financial Times, Antonio Sampaio argues that violent cities like Colombia’s Medellín can be tamed — with policies that are comprehensive and integrated.

Members of the Carnegie Endowment’s Rising Democracies Network assess their countries’ responses to last year’s military coup in Thailand.

Finally, the Council on Foreign Relations is offering international affairs fellowships for mid-career professionals. The deadline for applications is October 31.

In the photo, an Egyptian woman displays her ink-stained finger after casting her ballot in Egypt’s northern coastal city of Alexandria on October 19, 2015.

Photo credit: STR/AFP/Getty Images