Democracy Lab

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.

Sudanese protesters wave flags and flash victory signs as they protest outside the army complex in the capital Khartoum on April 17. OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images

The Counterrevolution Begins in Sudan

Omar al-Bashir is gone, but his system is fighting back. The result is total stalemate—for now.

Dispatch |
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo briefed lawmakers on the Iran threat, May 21, 2019.

United States Sticks to Iran Deterrence

Plus: Theresa May's "new deal," Sudan's protesters on strike, and the other stories we're following today.

Morning Brief |
President Donald J. Trump announces the withdrawal of the United States from the Iran nuclear deal in Washington on May 8, 2018.

There Is No Check on Trump’s Rage Going Nuclear

An angry, entitled man has total control over devastating weapons.

Argument |
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Foreign Policy illustration

The 5G Fight Is Bigger Than Huawei

A badly implemented ban would be a Pyrrhic victory at best.

Argument |
A French woman, Djamila Boutoutaou, attends her trial at the Central Criminal Court in Baghdad on April 17, 2018. She was sentenced to life in prison for belonging to the Islamic State.

Iraq Brings the Islamic State to Justice

The country’s trials have been brutally efficient, but will the U.N. deem them fair?

Argument |
Investors watch market figures in Nanjing, China, at a stock exchange hall on May 20.

Fear of Prolonged U.S.-China Trade War Rattles Markets

Some financial analysts warned that if trade talks between the countries collapse—and tariffs remain high—the global economy could move toward recession.

Morning Brief |
Bernie Sanders speaks during a news conference to urge Congress not to fast-track the Trans-Pacific Partnership on June 3, 2015.

Democrats Won’t Win by Being Trump Lite on Trade

International trade isn’t the problem—it’s Republican trade policies that have empowered corporations while leaving American workers behind.

Argument |
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic walks under a giant Serbian national flag during his arrival in the village of Gazivode, Serbia on Sept. 8, 2018.

Serbia Needs Kosovo’s Respect, Not Its Land

Peace talks have fallen apart again in the Balkans—but Greece and Macedonia show the proper way forward.

Argument |
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani attends a military parade marking the country’s annual Army Day in Tehran on April 18.

How to Prevent an Accidental War With Iran

With the dangers of miscalculation or misunderstanding high, Trump should act now to make sure the only wars the United States enters are the ones it really wants to.

Argument |
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Turkish-Cypriot President Mustafa Akinci walks alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the northern part of Nicosia in the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), which is only recognised by Turkey, during a welcome ceremony on July 10, 2018.

Turkey Is Hungry for War With Cyprus

Erdogan has rarely been so weak at home—or so aggressive with his neighbors in the Mediterranean.

Argument |
A man walks by the New York Stock Exchange in New York City on July 12, 2018.

Big Business Is Big Politics
Response |
In this picture taken on March 15, 2018, local resident Truong Thi Hong, 76, looks at the names of relatives killed during the My Lai massacre at the war memorial museum in Son My village, Quang Ngai province.

America Loves Excusing Its War Criminals
Argument |
A man walks by a bench featuring a U.S. flag outside a store in Beijing on May 15.

China Raises Threat of Rare-Earths Cutoff to U.S.
Report |
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Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison (C) shakes hands with Opposition Leader Bill Shorten (L) at a special ecumenical service to mark the start of the parliamentary year at St Paul's Anglican church on Feb. 12 in Canberra, Australia.

Scott Morrison Won Australia’s Election Against All Odds. It Shouldn’t Have Come as a Surprise.
Argument |
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to supporters during an election rally on April 16.

Indian Exit Polls Predict Modi Win
Morning Brief |
Asylum Seeker Rahaf al-Qanun smiles as she is introduced to the media at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Jan. 12, alongside Canadian minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland.

When Home Is a Prison, More Saudi Women Are Choosing to Flee
Dispatch |
A picture taken on May 13, 2019, shows the crude oil tanker, Amjad, which was one of two Saudi tankers that were damaged in mysterious attacks off the coast of the Gulf emirate of Fujairah.

U.S. Intel Indicates Iran Behind Tanker Sabotage
Security Brief |
Soldiers board an amphibious warfare ship on the Barents Sea shore in western Arctic Russia on April 17.

Russia’s Military Exercises in the Arctic Have More Bark Than Bite
Argument |
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People gather near a damaged shop after a mob attack in Minuwangoda on May 14, 2019, north of the Sri Lankan capital Colombo.

Buddhist Anger Could Tear Sri Lanka Apart
Argument |
A man on a rooftop looks at approaching flames on May 3, 2013, near Camarillo, California.

Be Afraid of the World, Be Very Afraid
Voice |
Assia Benziane (from left), Marlène Schiappa, Aissata Lam, Emma Watson, Lisa Azuelos, and Denis Mukwege arrive at the first meeting for the G-7 advisory committee for equality between women and men at the Élysée Palace in Paris on Feb. 19.

A French Feminist Foreign Policy
Argument |
Joseph Stiglitz speaks at the China Development Forum in Beijing on March 24.

An Icon of the Left Tells Democrats: Don’t Go Socialist
Q&A |

Trending

  1. China Raises Threat of Rare-Earths Cutoff to U.S.
    Report |
    ,

  2. The Spycraft Revolution
    Feature |

  3. The 5G Fight Is Bigger Than Huawei
    Argument |

  4. What Actually Happens When a Country Bans Abortion
    Analysis |

  5. The Counterrevolution Begins in Sudan
    Dispatch |

  6. What Will India Look Like If Modi Returns to Power?
    Argument |

  7. Turkey Is Hungry for War With Cyprus
    Argument |

  8. Iraq Brings the Islamic State to Justice
    Argument |

  9. A New Cold War Has Begun
    Argument |

  10. Scott Morrison Won Australia’s Election Against All Odds. It Shouldn’t Have Come as a Surprise.
    Argument |

Galleries

A man holds a flag depicting former Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva past a bus in flames during a protest organized by the National Students Union in Rio de Janeiro on May 15. Students and teachers from hundreds of universities and colleges began a nationwide demonstration in “defense of education following a raft of budget cuts announced by President Jair Bolsonaro's government. MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP/Getty Images

A Week in World Photos

Protests in Brazil, a greeting in New Zealand, and a pilgrimage in Portugal.

A Palestinian family break their Ramadan fast next to their house that was destroyed in the recent confrontation between Hamas and Israel in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on May 8. SAID KHATIB/AFP/Getty Images

A Week in World Photos

Breaking fast in Gaza, prayer in Sri Lanka, and World War II remembrance in Belarus.

Latest

In the Magazine

Current Issue: Spring 2019 | Archives

In the Magazine

Current Issue: Spring 2019 | Archives
Delcan & Company illustration for Foreign Policy
Chinese workers construct a shopping mall at a retail and office complex, part of a Chinese-backed building boom in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in November 2018. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

Catching China by the Belt (and Road)

How Washington can beat Beijing’s global influence campaign.

Argument |
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(Illustration by Shaivalini Kumar and Meroo Seth for Foreign Policy)

India Has a Mindset Problem

Jugaad once symbolized immense potential, but the endless shortcuts are now holding the country back.

Decoder |

The Spycraft Revolution

Changes in technology, politics, and business are all transforming espionage. Intelligence agencies must adapt—or risk irrelevance.

Feature |

The Spies Who Came In From the Continent

How Brexit could spell the end of Britain’s famed advantage in intelligence.

Feature |

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