Argument
An expert's point of view on a current event.

Democracy Lab Weekly Brief, May 2, 2016

 To keep up with Democracy Lab in real time, follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Tatia Lemondzhava cautions that Russians are losing their freedom to travel abroad — one of the post-Soviet gains they treasure most. Greg Rushford warns that the Philippines’ recent economic progress could be derailed by the presidential election on May 9. ...

GettyImages-523229396 crop
GettyImages-523229396 crop

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

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

Tatia Lemondzhava cautions that Russians are losing their freedom to travel abroad — one of the post-Soviet gains they treasure most.

Greg Rushford warns that the Philippines’ recent economic progress could be derailed by the presidential election on May 9.

Anna Nemtsova reports on the latest worrying assault on freedom of speech in Ukraine.

Nic Cheeseman, Gabrielle Lynch, and Justin Willis call out international election monitors for failing to do their jobs.

Cristina Maza explains why the recent electoral victory for Serbia’s pro-EU prime minister is actually bad news for Europe.

And now for this week’s recommended reads:

In Foreign Policy, Stephen Walt offers suggestions for how the United States can promote democracy abroad without using force.

In the Nikkei Asian Review, David Steinberg wonders why Aung San Suu Kyi has not asked the U.S. congress to remove sanctions against her country. And in the Irrawaddy, Thitinan Pongsudhirak praises Burma’s democratic reforms, arguing that Thailand, which is sinking into military rule, could learn from its neighbor’s example.

In the New York Times, Vanessa Barbara depicts growing nostalgia for Brazil’s old military dictatorship.

In Politico Europe, Emma Sky says that corruption, ethnic politics, and mismanagement — not the Islamic State — are the biggest threats to Iraq’s survival.

OpenDemocracy’s Shannon Green argues that violent non-state groups can do just as much damage to independent civil society as authoritarian governments.

Okayafrica’s Jeffrey Smith describes the plight of activists in the Gambia amid intensified international awareness of the country’s horrendous human rights record.

Reuters’ Wiktor Szary reports on rebellious Polish officials who are choosing to side with the constitutional court in its growing battle with the ruling party.

In his eponymous blog, Joel D. Hirst describes what it’s like to witness the “suicide” of Venezuela.

In the photo, people demonstrate against human rights violations in Dakar, the Gambia, on April 22.

Photo credit: SEYLLOU/AFP/Getty Images

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