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Archives: Democracy

Reflections by a Middle Easterner on the Electoral College as a Remnant of Elite Tribalism

By Hsain Ilahiane | (Informed Comment) | - - The Founding Fathers wrote the electoral college in the United States Constitution. In late summer 2004, I became a naturalized United States citizen…

5 Surprising Signs of Positive Change in 2016

Sarah van Gelder | (Yes! Magazine) The election divided the year into “before” and “after.” But there remain signs of hope for 2017. It was a year blown up by the election…

Demonization of Putin as “Personally” behind Clinton Hack is old Propaganda Technique

Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - The leaked allegations supposedly from the CIA that Russian President Vladimir Putin "personally" directed how hacked emails from the Clinton campaign should be treated…

From Wanda Sykes to ACLU: How to Show Solidarity in the Age of Trump

TeleSur | - - Building a wall of support against Trump’s wall of rhetoric is the way forward. Wanda Sykes, a Black lesbian comedian, was booed because she dared to rant against…

Growing Global Nuclear Threat – as if Election 2016 weren’t already bad enough

By Michael T. Klare | ( Tomdispatch.com) | - - Once upon a time, when choosing a new president, a factor for many voters was the perennial question: “Whose finger do you…

Polls: Capt. Trump aims GOP Flight 2016 at nearest mountain

Polls: Capt. Trump aiming GOP Flight 2016 at nearest mountain

David Faris | (Informed Comment) | - - In weighted opinion polls, Hillary Clinton crushed Donald J. Trump in Wednesday night's debate, with a 10 to 13 percent spread. On Wednesday night,…

Shadows of Plutocracy darken over our Democracy in this Election

By Bill Moyers | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | - - Sixty-six years ago this summer, on my 16th birthday, I went to work for the daily newspaper in the small East Texas…

Can Americans get back their Democracy from the Oligarchy?

By John Scales Avery | (Inter Press Service) | - - COPENHAGEN, (IPS) - As many observers around the world have pointed out, the United States is no longer a true democracy.…

The rise and fall of Turkey’s progressive opposition

By Nick Ashdown | ( OpenDemocracy) | - - Turkey's pro-Kurdish opposition party, the HDP roared into parliament on the back of a rainbow coalition of alienated progressives and minorities. Now, armed conflict…

Welcome to the Party, America! 11 Muslim women who have been PM or President

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - Hillary Clinton gave a victory speech Tuesday night positioning herself as the logical conclusion of the first women's rights meeting at Seneca Falls…

Kurdish lawmakers Depart Baghdad: “Straighten up or We Won’t Be Back”

By Histyar Qader | Erbil | (Niqash.org) | - - After protestors invaded Baghdad’s Green Zone, Iraqi Kurdish politicians fled home. Despite the fact that their absence could paralyse Parliament, they say…

Iran’s Pres. Rouhani may have parliamentary backing, but can he remake Iran?

By Nader Habibi | (The Conversation) | - - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his policies are set to get a boost this week after voters elected a parliament that favors reform.…

The Danger Of Dictatorship: How To Replace Iraq’s Flawed Political System?

By Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) | - - Iraq’s Parliament has failed its people. This was the message from protestors last week. But what could possibly replace the flawed system?…

With more Women than Clerics, will Iran’s new Parliament improve Women’s Rights?

Leila Alikarami | (Open Democracy) | - - The problem was the Guardian Council, a body which has veto authority over any legislature, which in this case rejected all 33 bills introduced…

Big Money in Politics Doesn’t Just Drive Inequality. It Drives War.

By Rebecca Green | ( Otherwords.org) | - - Military contractors have shelled out over $1 million to the 2016 presidential candidates — including over $200,000 to Hillary Clinton alone. The 2016…

The Young Turks’ Cenk Uygur ARRESTED At Democracy Spring Protest In Washington D.C.

Ben Mankiewicz, Ana Kasparian, and John Iadarola | (The Young Turks Video) | - - "The Democracy Spring rally was held today in Washington, D.C. to protest government corruption and money in…

Do you have to be Affluent to be Democratic?

By Pippa Norris | (The Conversation) | - - Africans recently went to the polls in Benin, Cape Verde, the Republic of Congo, Niger and Zanzibar. The outcome was decidedly mixed. In…

Why Are there no Iranian Suicide Bombers? Evolving Islamic Democracy Matters!

By Ali R. Abootalebi | (Informed Comment) | - - The emergence of political Islam in the mainstream politics in the Middle East and across other Muslim countries since the 1970s has…

Why are American Elections so much worse than Everybody Else’s?

by Pippa Norris | (The Conversation) | - - The world is currently transfixed by the spectacle of American elections. From New York, London and Paris to Beijing, Moscow, and Sydney there…