democracy

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If You Don't Know Who This Is, Don't Vote

Uninformed citizens should stay home, unpopular as the sentiment might be

(Newser) - Countless actors, musicians and other celebrities have volunteered their time encouraging young people to vote. But should they? ABC News anchor John Stossel quizzed voters on basic political knowledge at a registration-drive concert and in the nation’s capital. A shockingly high number of uninformed answers led Stossel to the...

Former Prisoner Ousts Maldives' Brutal President

Torture victim wins Indian Ocean islands' first democratic vote

(Newser) - A former political prisoner won a decisive victory yesterday in the Maldives' first democratic election, the Telegraph reports, ousting Asia's longest-serving leader. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who came to power in 1978, conceded defeat to former journalist Mohamed Nasheed—a man he jailed 13 times and who walks with a limp...

Wave Goodbye to Reaganism
Wave Goodbye
to Reaganism 
ANALYSIS
Oct 5, 2008 8:00 PM CDT

Wave Goodbye to Reaganism

Wall St. collapse shows old policies no longer work for modern US

(Newser) - Reaganism—the graying policy of low taxes, light regulation, small government, and “cowboy capitalism”—is over. Worse, Francis Fukuyama writes in Newsweek, it, along with Washington’s ill-advised foreign policy, is tarnishing the American brand. “Restoring our good name and reviving the appeal of our brand is...

Sectarian Arrests Threaten Iraq Security

Sunnis fear al-Qaeda resurgence as Shiite authorities detain Council leaders

(Newser) - Sunnis of the Awakening Council, which helped the US fight al-Qaeda in Iraq, are in hiding to avoid arrest by the Shia-led government, USA Today reports. Such political harassment could allow al-Qaeda to regain footing in volatile Diyala province and elsewhere, US officials say. Iraqi government members insist their actions...

Pakistani Democracy Is Achievable: Bhutto Widower

Zardari: stakes high in Saturday's elections

(Newser) - Pakistan, still reeling from Benazir Bhutto's assassination and Pervez Musharraf's resignation, can get a grip on terrorists and win the fight against dictatorship, insists Bhutto’s widower in a Washington Post op-ed outlining the stakes in Saturday's election. Asif Ali Zardari, who’s running for president, vows to continue his...

In China and Russia, a 'Springtime for Autocrats'
In China and Russia,
a 'Springtime for Autocrats'
ANALYSIS
Aug 17, 2008 2:36 PM CDT

In China and Russia, a 'Springtime for Autocrats'

Is the Age of Authoritarianism upon us?

(Newser) - The autocratic world powers that were crumbling in the late 1980s may yet have their day, and sooner than we think, writes executive editor Bill Keller in the New York Times. As China keeps its stranglehold on free speech despite promises to the IOC, and Russia tests how far it...

Riots Imperil Democracy in Mongolia

Government crackdown worries citizens in region's freest state

(Newser) - Last week hundreds of drunken rioters in Mongolia's capital vented their frustration at parliamentary elections by smashing the headquarters of the ruling party, killing five people. The violence shocked many in this peaceful, democratic nation. But many Mongolians were equally shocked by the government's reaction: a four-day state of emergency,...

Turkey's PM Could Fall Over Headscarves
Turkey's PM Could Fall Over Headscarves
ANALYSIS
Jun 20, 2008 7:16 PM CDT

Turkey's PM Could Fall Over Headscarves

Attack by 'extreme' secular judges will hopefully fall short

(Newser) - Turkey's secular judges want to oust the ruling party for its moderate, and popular, stance on religion freedoms, Mustafa Akyol writes in the American. On paper, the judiciary seeks to punish the incumbent AKP party for crimes such as nepotism and corruption. In reality, Akyol writes, the AKP's support for...

Despite Mugabe, Democracy Is Gaining in Zimbabwe

Number of 'free' sub-Saharan nations up; grass-roots efforts continue

(Newser) - Undemocratic though the situation might seem, the fact that the opposition has forced a presidential run-off in Zimbabwe is a sign of democracy's spread in sub-Saharan Africa, the Wall Street Journal reports, where the number of "free" countries has reached 11 of 48, up from 3 in 1977. "...

Nepal to Become a Republic
 Nepal to Become a Republic 
May 28, 2008 7:26 AM CDT

Nepal to Become a Republic

People celebrate as monarchy ends

(Newser) - Nepal is becoming a democratic republic today—and it's getting its first taste of democracy's hiccups. As thousands gathered in the streets of Kathmandu to celebrate, the newly-elected constitutional assembly met to abolish the country’s monarchy. But the momentous vote has been delayed a few hours over disagreements about...

Bush Issues Arab To-Do List
 Bush Issues Arab
 To-Do List 
May 18, 2008 1:06 PM CDT

Bush Issues Arab To-Do List

Improve economies, women's rights, democracy to make peace possible

(Newser) - President Bush addressed Arab leaders at the World Economic Forum today, urging them to make the changes necessary to achieve peace in the region. Citing improving women's rights, strengthening their economies, and bolstering democracy as the major goals, Bush reprised some of the same language from his speech last week...

Like Lincoln and JFK, Obama Is on a New Channel
Like Lincoln and JFK, Obama Is on a New Channel
ANALYSIS
May 17, 2008 4:12 PM CDT

Like Lincoln and JFK, Obama Is on a New Channel

But 'fickle' Internet could 'stall his agenda as president'

(Newser) - Lincoln, FDR, JFK... Obama? So runs the line of US leaders who have ruled by harnessing new communication technologies. Obama's mastery of the Web echoes Lincoln's use of newspapers, FDR's use of radio and JFK's use of television. Obama vows to put the Oval Office online if he wins, but...

Oil Driving 'Democratic Recession'
Oil Driving 'Democratic Recession'
OPINION
May 7, 2008 11:25 AM CDT

Oil Driving 'Democratic Recession'

High prices, US inaction let 'bad guys' run amok: Friedman

(Newser) - A "democratic recession" is threatening to roll back freedom around the globe, Thomas Friedman writes today in the New York Times. The high price of oil—which facilitates authoritarian rule—combined with the loss of US ability to effectively promote democracy means dictators have freer reign and freedom suffers,...

Bush to Junta: Let the US Help
 Bush to Junta: Let the US Help 
May 6, 2008 2:07 PM CDT

Bush to Junta: Let the US Help

President signs act awarding Congressional Gold Medal to Suu Kyi

(Newser) - President Bush today expressed “heartfelt sympathy” to the victims of the Myanmar cyclone and called on the ruling junta to allow the US to offer more help, the Voice of America reports. The government has accepted $250,000 of US aid but balked at letting US Navy rescue teams...

Nepal Set to Abolish 240-Year-Old Monarchy

Voters out in droves for first election in 9 years

(Newser) - Voting is under way in Nepal's parliamentary elections, where citizens of the Himalayan nation are expected to endorse parties that will oust the 240-year-old monarchy, reports AFP. UN observers have commended a high turnout despite eight deaths in protests ahead of today's polling, the centerpiece of a peace deal between...

Millions Tune In to Afghan 'Idol'

Fans of American Idol -inspired hit back female singer over clerics' objections

(Newser) - More than a third of all Afghans were hooked on this year’s Afghan Star, the nation's version of the TV hit American Idol. Although religious leaders condemned the show for allowing women to perform, viewers voting on cell phones chose a female contestant as one of the top five...

Security Comes to Fallujah With Saddam-Like Iron Fist

US hails progress, but top cop relies on brutal tactics, says democracy not for Iraq

(Newser) - Fallujah, a hotbed of violence that has shown signs of stability, is trumpeted by the US as a success story of the Iraq war effort. But the security achieved there, largely the work of Faial Ismail al-Zobaie, the city’s police chief and a former insurgent, is the result of...

Democracy Comes to Bhutan
 Democracy Comes to Bhutan 
Mar 24, 2008 12:41 PM CDT

Democracy Comes to Bhutan

Tiny kingdom peacefully shifts to constitutional monarchy

(Newser) - The people of Bhutan went to the polls for the first time today, ending a century of absolute monarchy. Some voters were uneasy about the transition, AFP reports. “We are very happy,” said one. But “sometimes we worry because it’s a new system.” In an...

Gorbachev: Russia Needs Real Democracy

Medvedev, Putin need to change process, ex-Soviet leader writes

(Newser) - Mikhail Gorbachev is pushing Russia's leaders to change their ways. Writing today for the Times of London, Gorbachev praises Vladimir Putin’s accomplishments as president, and acknowledges the soon-to-be prime minister's popularity. But Russia still faces big problems, which “can only be solved in an environment of real democracy....

Magna Carta Back in US Archives
Magna Carta Back in US Archives
Mar 4, 2008 5:35 PM CST

Magna Carta Back in US Archives

Carlyle Group founder returns it after buying for $21.3M

(Newser) - The Magna Carta returned to the National Archives yesterday after facing an uncertain fate on the auction block last year, the Washington Post reports. The 13th-century English document, a precursor to the US Bill of Rights 500 years later, is now on permanent loan from a US businessman who bought...

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