A grandfather, estranged from his family and relatives, unable to visit his grandchildren because their parents worry about his growing vitriol. A daughter who rarely visits home any longer, save for …
Social Media and Mass Mobilization in Algeria
In February 2019, Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika declared his intention to run for a fifth term. This message was released through state media as Bouteflika could no longer make public …
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What Makes Canadian Democracy So Resilient?
For some Americans, Canada appears to be a liberal—albeit slightly cold—utopia. While at the national level U.S. politics has fallen into dysfunction at best and downright authoritarianism at worst, …
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Ethnic Oppression of Bulgarian Roma
Bulgaria, named an European Union (EU) member state in 2007, has been witnessing signs of democratic backsliding consistently since then. A strong democracy is one that respects all its people …
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The Demise of Democracy: Threat of Autocracy in El Salvador
The scene in El Salvador’s legislature in February 2020 appeared to come straight out of a dictatorship: Armed Forces and National Civil Police troops armed with rifles and gear were ordered to stand …
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The Colorado Party and Stealth Authoritarianism: Today’s El Stronato
The Western media has been hyper-focused on the American presidential election, and rightfully so. American media outlets have much domestic material to discuss as polarization increases throughout …
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Facebook and Content Moderation: An Inconspicuous Driver of Democratic Erosion
In 2004, in a small dorm room at Harvard University, Facebook was born. A platform initially designed for American college students to network and meet each other has grown to host nearly 3 billion …
New Regime, Age-Old Conflict: Legitimacy Pressure Pushes Post-Revolution Armenia into War
Armenia enters new fighting over an old dispute, and the fledgling democracy's pursuit of legitimacy is playing a role. Not only was legitimacy instrumental in the ouster of former Prime Minister …