About Democracy Lab
Democracy Lab is Foreign Policy's home for coverage of transitions to democracy, published in partnership with the Legatum Institute. Democracy Lab also runs Transitions, a blog featuring on-the-ground coverage of transitioning countries.
Editor, Christian Caryl
Assistant Editor, Ilya Lozovsky
Learn more about Democracy Lab here.
The Taliban Just Won a Key Battle for Afghanistan’s Future
The killing of a strongman police chief creates a dangerous power vacuum.
The Kingdom’s Hackers and Bots
Saudi Arabia is using cutting-edge technology to track dissidents and stifle dissent.
Norwegian Diplomat Tops U.N. Shortlist For Syria Envoy
Geir Pedersen could be saddled with one of diplomacy’s most thankless tasks.
Few Signs of Progress on Denuclearization as U.S., South Korea Cancel Another Major Military Exercise
Current and former U.S. officials say North Korea is dragging its heels, but Seoul and Pyongyang are still talking.
The Tourism Curse
Like a wealth of oil, lots of visitors can become a development trap. Here's how to avoid it.
The Sad Decline of Brazil’s Political Establishment
Voters are manifesting their profound unhappiness with the status quo. Jair Bolsonaro is the result.
Did Camp David Doom the Palestinians?
A new diplomatic history argues that the United States, Egypt, and Israel prevented a Palestinian state from emerging. But leaders such as Yasser Arafat bear much of the blame.
State Department Considering Public Diplomacy Overhaul
The revamp comes as officials debate how to counter Russian and Chinese influence campaigns.
The Trade War Has Claimed Its First Victim
Tariffs from the United States, Canada, China, Mexico, and the EU may have damaged the WTO beyond repair.
South Africa’s First Nations Have Been Forgotten
As Pretoria prepares to confront the legacy of colonial and apartheid-era land theft, hardly anyone seems to care about the claims of the country’s earliest inhabitants—the Khoisan.
Galleries
A Week in World Photos
Soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a rocket malfunction in Kazakhstan, and a human tower in Spain.
A Week in World Photos
Displaced children in Yemen, farmer protests in New Delhi, and a return to Earth in Kazakhstan.
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Stretched Thin on Thin Ice
With the Arctic melting and northern coast guards struggling to keep up, the next disaster is a matter of when, not if.
Food Fight
Why the next big battle may not be fought over treasure or territory—but for fish.
The Taliban’s Fight for Hearts and Minds
The militants’ new strategy is to out-govern the U.S.-backed administration in Kabul—and it’s working.
Point and Nuke
Remembering the era of portable atomic bombs.
