Skip to content

IPI Global Observatory

Daily analysis in your inbox
  • Analysis
  • Interviews
  • Series
  • Features
  • About
  • Follow Us
    • Subscribe to our newsletter
    • Follow us on Twitter
    • Join us on Facebook
    • Flux RSS
    • Live Audio and Video
  • Daily analysis in your inbox
  • Topics & regions

    Most Popular

    • Arab Spring | 57 articles
    • Central Asia | 35 articles
    • Climate Change | 55 articles
    • Conflict | 125 articles
    • Democracy | 45 articles
    • Development | 60 articles
    • Elections | 120 articles
    • Fragile States | 74 articles
    • Health and Security | 35 articles
    • Humanitarian Affairs | 104 articles
    • Justice | 46 articles
    • Mali | 36 articles
    • Mass Protest | 40 articles
    • Peace and Security | 90 articles
    • Peace Processes | 91 articles
    • Peacebuilding | 61 articles
    • Peacekeeping | 195 articles
    • Rebel Groups | 38 articles
    • Resources | 41 articles
    • Rule Of Law | 34 articles
    • Somalia | 34 articles
    • Southeast Asia | 49 articles
    • Statebuilding | 57 articles
    • Sustaining Peace | 31 articles
    • Syria | 81 articles
    • Technology | 36 articles
    • Terrorism | 130 articles
    • United Nations | 208 articles
    • Women Peace and Security | 121 articles
    Explore All Topics & Regions

    Regions

    • Africa | 366 articles
    • Americas | 92 articles
    • Asia | 95 articles
    • Europe | 97 articles
    • Middle East | 208 articles

Tag: democracy

  • Myanmar’s Military Coup and the “Age of Impunity”

    Police officers Yangon
    February 24, 2021Damian Lilly and Richard Bennett

    There is an urgent need to rethink how to hold to account those responsible for human rights violations not only in Myanmar, but also in other countries.

    Analysisdemocracy, southeast-asia
  • View From Caracas: Anarchy, Poverty, and Uncertainty in Venezuela

    February 15, 2018by Margarita Lopez Maya

    Without a political change, the population will continue to suffer. However, it is hard to imagine that the current situation can continue over time without undermining the support base of Maduro’s regime.

    Analysisamericas, democracy
  • New Protests in Tunisia, But Is the Government Listening?

    January 26, 2018by Lisa Watanabe

    While the political and social reality that demonstrators are responding to does require serious attention, there are also reasons to hope that the current juncture is an opportunity to build on Tunisia’s successes.

    Analysisdemocracy, north-africa
  • A Series of Miscalculations: The Kurdish Referendum and its Fallout

    Iraq Kurds
    December 19, 2017by Katie Klain and Lisel Hintz

    Despite nearly universal regional rebuke of the Kurdish referendum before the September 25 vote, Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) pushed forward on what it seemed to believe would be a path to independence. Why did former KRG President Masoud Barzani hold a referendum vote despite immense pressure not to do so?

    Analysisdemocracy, middle-east
  • Kurdistan Votes “Yes,” but What Comes Next?

    September 28, 2017by Arsla Jawaid

    Barzani has worked to establish himself as the figurehead who will lead the Kurdish people toward independence. The danger is that unfulfilled expectations may reduce his political mileage in the near future.

    Analysisdemocracy, middle-east
  • The Venezuelan Crisis and Fragmented Multilateralism in the Americas

    August 23, 2017by Stefano Palestini

    It is futile to blame the crisis for the shortcomings of multilateral instruments; at the end of the day, were these mechanisms not designed precisely to solve complex crises?

    Analysisamericas, democracy
  • A Tale of Two Illiberalisms: Why Is Poland Failing Where Hungary Succeeded?

    August 2, 2017by Anna Grzymala-Busse

    In both Poland and in Hungary, conservative social policies have sought to restrict abortion, declared conservative Christian teaching to be the guiding principle behind state policy (despite low religiosity in Hungary, and the constitutional separation of Church and state in Poland), and attempted to criminalize individual ties to the former communist regimes.

    Analysisdemocracy, europe
  • Is DRC’s Democracy Headed for a Kabila Coup de Grace?

    July 18, 2017by Ryan Cummings

    With DRC President Kabila becoming increasingly emboldened in his actions to extend his political longevity, it would be difficult to believe that travel and financial embargoes alone will sway the incumbent from delivering the coup de grace to his country’s hopes of achieving a democratic transfer of power in the near-term.

    Analysisdemocracy, democratic-republic-of-the-congo, justice
  • Time Running out for OAS on Venezuelan Crisis

    June 6, 2017by Stefano Palestini

    With more than 60 deaths in the last two months of protests, the risk for Venezuela to fall into a spiral of violence is high.

    Analysisamericas, democracy
  • Risky Political Maneuvers Seek an End to Guinea-Bissau Impasse

    June 2, 2017by Ryan Cummings

    ECOWAS has issue a stern warning to the country’s paralyzed polity, voicing its grave concern regarding what it sees as “a deteriorating socio-political situation in the country.”

    Analysisafrica, democracy
  • Next →

This week

  • Why Congo’s M23 Crisis Lingers On

    May 30, 2023by Judith Verweijen and Christoph Vogel

    The conflict has been propped up by blame games, ineffective diplomacy, recurring geopolitical tensions and proxy warfare in the Great Lakes region, and the Congolese state’s weak commitment to addressing grievances that drive armed group proliferation.

    Analysisafrica, conflict
  • China’s Small Steps into UN Peacekeeping Are Adding Up

    May 24, 2023by Courtney J. Fung

    China will likely continue to shape peacekeeping along its preferences for a more technical and less overt political foreign policy tool.

    Analysispeacekeeping, unpkat75, united-nations

Trending

  • As UN Missions Draw Down, Strengthening Community-Led Approaches to Protection of Civilians

    May 23, 2023by Gay Rosenblum-Kumar

    UN mission transitions still result in gaps in the protection of civilians experiencing violent conflict.

    Analysispeacekeeping, protection-of-civilians
  • Human Survival Depends on Biodiversity: Interview with Brad Cardinale

    May 22, 2023by Jill Stoddard

    Brad Cardinale, an ecologist who focuses on the conservation and restoration of biodiversity in natural systems discusses the scale and irreversibility of the biodiversity crisis.

    Interviewsbiodiversity, climate-change, ecology
  • Mediation in Peacekeeping Contexts: Trends and Challenges for Mission Leadership

    May 19, 2023by Sara Hellmüller and Flavia Keller

    The political role of the UN may not have diminished overall, but shifted.

    Analysispeacekeeping, unpkat75, united-nations
  • How Not to Do UN Peacekeeping

    May 17, 2023by Cedric de Coning

    One of the most enduring lessons learned over the past 75 years of peacekeeping is that peace cannot be imposed.

    Analysispeacekeeping, unpkat75, united-nations
  • 75 Years On, the Uncertain Fate of UN Peacekeeping

    May 16, 2023by Jenna Russo

    This spring marks 75 years since the UN first deployed a peacekeeping mission. Here are some of the challenges peacekeeping is facing, and opportunities for the future.

    Analysispeacekeeping, unpkat75, united-nations
  • Ten Years After Genocide Trial in Guatemala, Justice System Suffering Trust Deficit

    May 10, 2023by Vaclav Masek

    The ten-year anniversary of the historic trial coincides with a process of erosion in judicial independence in the country.

    Analysisamericas, rule-of-law, transitional-justice
  • As Crimes against Peacekeepers Increase, How to Find Accountability

    May 4, 2023by Agathe Sarfati and Jill Stoddard

    Major challenges remain in pursuing justice for peacekeepers who have been victims of attacks.

    Analysispeacekeeping
  • A New Agenda for Peace: Making Peace Plural and Healing Historical Traumas

    April 27, 2023by Youssef Mahmoud

    Left unaddressed, painful legacies of past political violence will continue to infiltrate the institutions, processes, and assumptions that inform definitions of peace and approaches to sustaining peace.

    Analysispeace-and-security, sustaining-peace, united-nations
  • Sharing the Pen in the UN Security Council: A Win for Inclusive Multilateralism?

    April 7, 2023by Julie Gregory

    Greater sharing of the pen within the Security Council could help mend perceptions of partiality and facilitate more inclusivity.

    Analysismultilateralism, security-council
  • Wagner Group Poses Fundamental Challenges for the Protection of Civilians by UN Peacekeeping Operations

    March 20, 2023by Dirk Druet

    The Russian government-affiliated Wagner Group has gained widespread attention for its brutal tactics in the Central African Republic and Mali.

    Analysisafrica, peacekeeping, protection-of-civilians
  • Addressing Gender Bias to Achieve Ethical AI

    March 17, 2023by Ardra Manasi, Subadra Panchanadeswaran, and Emily Sours

    For AI to be ethical and be a vehicle for the common good, it needs to eliminate any explicit and implicit biases, including on the gender front.

    Analysistechnology
  • Future Peace Deal Not Just About Putin, Zelensky: Ukrainian People Get a Voice and a Vote

    March 8, 2023by William Partlett

    A stable peace deal requires the support of the Ukrainian people for both legal and political reasons.

    Analysisconflict, eastern-europe, peace-processes
  • Do People Trust the UN? A Look at the Data

    February 22, 2023by Albert Trithart and Olivia Case

    Survey data does not reveal a major, widespread drop in the UN’s legitimacy over the past few years.

    Analysismultilateralism, united-nations
  • After Agreement in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region, What Stands in the Way of Lasting Peace? 

    February 7, 2023by Hilary Matfess and Anne Lauder

    A peace deal between Tigrayan forces and the Ethiopian government signed in November 2022 raised hopes that the war in northern Ethiopia—one of the world’s deadliest conflicts in recent years—was finally drawing to a close.

    Analysisafrica, conflict, peace-processes
  • The Multilateralism Index: Measuring Transformation in a Time of Crisis and Uncertainty

    January 9, 2023by Adam Lupel

    A better understanding is needed of where the multilateral system is working, where it is not, and where it is headed.

    Analysismultilateralism
  • Does the UN Need a More Coherent Approach Toward “De Facto” Authorities?

    January 6, 2023by Damian Lilly

    As a result of shifting dynamics in certain conflicts, as well as recent coups, the UN is having to engage with de facto authorities in a growing number of country contexts.

    Analysisunited-nations
  • The Nitty Gritty of Climate Policy: Taking Stock of COP27, Looking Ahead to COP28

    January 5, 2023by Olivia Fielding, Michael Franczak, Masooma Rahmaty, Aparajita Rao, Jimena Leiva Roesch, Michael Weisberg

    The agreement to establish a fund for loss and damage was a historic win for developing countries, but progress on mitigation stalled at COP27.

    Analysisclimate2022, climate-change
  • Milestone in the Security Council: What the New Humanitarian “Carve-out” Means for UN Sanctions Regimes

    December 16, 2022by Naureen Chowdhury Fink and Agathe Sarfati 

    Last week,  the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted Resolution 2664, a cross-cutting humanitarian carve-out for all UN sanctions regimes–including the 1267 ISIL/al-Qaida regime–to safeguard the timely and effective conduct of humanitarian activities.

    Analysishumanitarian, security-council, terrorism
  • The East African Community Steps into the Crisis in the DRC. Will It Help?

    December 12, 2022by Jenna Russo

    While the current crisis is unlikely to be resolved without military force, any hope for success requires that operations remain closely tied to a political process, and that neighboring countries remain accountable to support the security and sovereignty of the DRC.

    Analysisafrica, conflict
  • The Case for Integrating Sustaining Peace into an Expanded Climate, Peace and Security Concept

    November 23, 2022by Cedric de Coning and Hafsa M. Maalim

    Actions to address the effects of climate challenges can contribute to sustaining peace, while peacebuilding initiatives can, at times, also strengthen the capacity of communities to adapt to climate change.

    Analysisclimate2022, climate-change, sustaining-peace

Latest tweets:

@ipinstGO

Follow Us:

Facebook Twitter Youtube RSS

Subscribe to our newsletter:

Subscription page

About the Global Observatory

The Global Observatory provides timely analysis on peace and security issues by experts, journalists, and policymakers. It is published by the International Peace Institute. The views expressed here represent those of the contributors and not IPI.

About the International Peace Institute

The International Peace Institute is an independent, international think tank located in New York and Manama, dedicated to the settlement and prevention of armed conflict.

© 2023 IPI International Peace Institute | Privacy Policy