
Paul Kagame Celebrated ‘Hotel Rwanda’—Until Its Hero Criticized Him
Rwanda’s president once welcomed the Hollywood film. His recent attacks on the movie and its protagonist show that his government cannot handle dissent.

How to Live With Authoritarians
Democracies have to learn how to manage some people’s innate fears of change.

Autocrats Have a Playbook—Now Democrats Need One Too
With democracy still in retreat, it is time to get smart about fighting back.

Cambodia’s Post-Pandemic Law and Order
Amid economic crisis, sweeping new legislation on “public order” would stifle dissent—and effectively criminalize people for being poor.

Autocrats Increasingly Quashing Dissent Beyond Their Own Borders
Freedom House says transnational repression is on the rise—led by China, Saudi Arabia, and Russia.

How to Counter White Supremacist Extremists Online
To stop future attacks like the Capitol invasion, the Biden administration must lead the way in pushing social media platforms to counter the far-right.

The Capitol Coup Attempt Was the Far-Right’s Opening Shot
Jan. 6 was a classic example of propaganda by the deed—a revolutionary approach favored by everyone from 19th-century anarchists to Osama bin Laden.

Was Portugal’s Election a Breakthrough for the Far-Right?
The incumbent president won in a landslide, but a populist right-wing candidate raised eyebrows in a country that has so far avoided extremes.

Rwanda’s Rendition of a Hollywood Hero Confirms the Country’s Descent Into Dictatorship
Paul Rusesabagina is the latest dissident to be caught in the Rwandan ruler’s authoritarian net. Western governments must stop portraying President Paul Kagame’s repressive regime as a development success story.

Washington Must Treat White Supremacist Terrorism as a Transnational Threat
After the Capitol attack, the U.S. government needs to recognize racist extremists as a national security risk and create a high-level counterterrorism czar to disrupt their financing and dismantle their networks.

Far-Right Extremism Is a Global Problem
And it is time to treat it like one.

It Happened Here
Trump’s movement is a uniquely American fascism, built on a century of American imperialism.

Carnage Comes to the Capitol
Donald Trump decried ‘American carnage’ in his 2017 inaugural address on the Capitol steps. His rhetoric made it a reality in 2021.

How Press Freedom Came Under Attack in 2020
Citizens hungry for information turned to the media during the pandemic, but governments around the world used the crisis to restrict journalists.

The Power Delusion
U.S.-China competition isn’t just about great-power rivalry. It’s about the ideological battle between democracy and authoritarianism, too.

What Trump’s Loss Means for Authoritarian Leaders
From Cairo to Riyadh, autocrats are nervous about what a Biden administration might mean for their relationship with Washington.

Locked Down at Home, Much of France Is Quietly Rooting for Biden
Trump’s insults and ideological closeness to Marine Le Pen have left a bitter taste.

How Brazil Was ‘Ukrainized’
After an obscure—and confusing—term burst into politics, the country’s far-right may be forever changed.

Election Violence in the United States Is a Clear and Present Danger
Americans expect election-related instability in faraway countries. Here’s how it could happen at home.

A Year After Protests Began, Chile’s Constitutional Referendum Goes Ahead
On Sunday, after months of protests, voters can choose to keep or begin a process of replacing the current constitution.