China is in a good position today, without question. Domestically, standards of living have been increasing and the economic growth of around 7% persists, and on a global scale, weak and isolationist United States leave more and more room for Chinese “soft power” – investments of various sorts – to give Beijing increasing leverage,…
Category: Dictatorship
Peru has been rocked by demonstrations for the past several days, as the country is moving closer to a political power struggle between the clan of former authoritarian president Alberto Fujimori, and ruling president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (PPK). The protestors on the street call for PPK to resign following his highly controversial pardon of…
It has been 60 years since the Cuban revolution, and much like ever before, the country continues to polarize. One of the highest literacy rates in the world, free education and healthcare are seen as exemplary by many. On the other hand, though, Amnesty International and other human rights organizations are reiterating their calls…
When thinking about repressive regimes where people “disappear”, that work their own people to death and have some seemingly absurd policies, North Korea usually comes to mind first. Much less known is its close runner-up and African counterpart: Eritrea. Eritrea is a relatively small and very poor nation located at the eastern coast of…
Title Image: A protester holds up a copy of the Polish constitution. Image: @DukaKofi via Twitter. Over the last months, Poland’s nationalist ruling party Law and Justice (PiS) has tightened its grip on power through a series of authoritarian laws, placing the country’s media and highest constitutional court under its control. Human Rights organizations, the…
The early 21st century has seen a resurgence in dictatorships and authoritarian governments throughout the world, including regions like Europe previously thought to now be stable democracies. However, models like the Soviet-inspired communist state or “traditional” dictatorships are outdated and will not survive through the 21st century. Instead, a new form of authoritarian regime is…