Democracy

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Catching the Wind in a Net? Prospects for Russia’s Democratisation

The question of whether and on what conditions Russia could someday find its place among free and democratic western states has been under close scrutiny ever since the end of the Cold War. In 1992, President Richard Nixon warned the West that instead of transitioning to a fully-fledged liberal democracy, Russia would be seeking a third way to reconcile Soviet stability and enforced security with capitalist prosperity. By 2024, the Russia that he warned us about has fully materialised and is actively challenging global peace and security. Is this aggressive, inherently undemocratic direction solely the fault of the repressive state apparatus, or could bottom-up dynamics play a role in blocking Russia’s so-called normalisation?

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Europe’s Broken Order and the Prospect of a New Cold War

The Russian and western visions of European security have profoundly different ideational roots: balance of power embedded in realist geopolitics versus liberal rules-based order. Russia is a revisionist power aiming to re-establish a European security order based on the balance of power, including a recognition of its empire and sphere of influence. Russia’s aggressive pursuit of this vision has forced the West to defend the rules-based liberal order in Europe and beyond.

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ZUMAPRESS.com/Scanpix

US Democracy: A Second Heart Attack?

On 6 January 2021, America suffered a massive heart attack. The entire world watched as Washington, the seat of national power, a symbol of international egalitarianism, and the last remaining superpower was engulfed in a smoky cauldron of violent anarchy. When the sun set, it was not clear if American democracy would survive.

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