The Trump administration is ratcheting up the pressure, and the island dictatorship is in deep crisis. But what is the plan for picking up the pieces?
07.03.2026 18:00
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The Trump administration is ratcheting up the pressure, and the island dictatorship is in deep crisis. But what is the plan for picking up the pieces?
The case of Hungary shows how autocrats can rig elections legally, using legislative majorities to change the law and neutralize the opposition at every turn, no matter what strategy they adopt.
"China’s leaders often speak as though history bends inevitably toward assimilation. But history suggests the opposite. Nations denied self-expression do not fade; they deepen their sense of purpose. Cultures under pressure do not disappear; they endure."
Nepal's election yesterday marked a turning point for the country.
"In Nepal, Gen-Z activists have used...protests as an opportunity to push for political-party reforms that would retire old elites and improve youth representation in parliament."
"Cuba may indeed be at its most consequential turning point in decades. But history suggests that how change comes matters as much as that it comes at all."
"...Dismantlement of [Venezuela's] regime requires a careful balancing act from the United States: It should be fast enough to exploit leverage that may not last, yet slow enough to prevent a Chavista backlash against Rodríguez that could demand deeper American involvement."
Venezuela’s civil society is reemerging, opposition leaders are returning, and activists are taking to the streets. Even more, Washington has the leverage to bring about real change. Will it seize the moment?
Tibet is one of the most heavily policed regions in the world. Beijing has spent seven decades trying to assimilate the Tibetan people through force. It will never succeed.
"The core logic of the post-Maduro strategy is adaptation...The regime is betting that every additional month without a decisive democratic breakthrough will allow it to reorganize, regain leverage, and test the limits of external pressure."
The country’s civil society is reemerging, opposition leaders are returning, and activists are taking to the streets. Even more, Washington has the leverage to bring about real change. Will it seize the moment?
Today's general elections in Nepal have the potential to pave the path toward democracy.
"...Moving toward elections fought over core political questions has the best chance of laying the foundation for enduring changes in Nepal," Paul Staniland writes.
"In Nepal, Gen-Z activists have used...protests as an opportunity to push for political-party reforms that would retire old elites and improve youth representation in parliament."
Read about how Gen-Z uprisings in Nepal led to today's general elections.
Nicaragua is a corrupt, dictatorial outpost. But it didn’t have to be the case. And its path offers valuable lessons for how to achieve a successful democratic transition in Venezuela today.
How Maduro Stole Venezuela's Vote
muse.jhu.edu/article...
"Some fear that Rodríguez is buying time by yielding to U.S. economic demands while slow walking political reform, as the newly approved amnesty law suggests — a narrowly passed measure that leaves many dissidents jailed on political grounds."
Delcy Rodríguez and her cronies aren’t going to surrender easily. They plan to adapt and undermine any attempt to restore Venezuela’s democracy. This is their strategy.
🎙️ In our new podcast produced in collaboration with the @jodemocracy.bsky.social, @chenoweth.bsky.social and @matthewcebul.bsky.social discuss the political profile of Gen-Z protesters and what ignited their recent protests across the globe. ✊🪧
🎧 Listen to it now:
👉 tinyurl.com/ypefjnjx
Nicaragua is a corrupt, dictatorial outpost. But it didn’t have to be the case. And its path offers valuable lessons for how to achieve a successful democratic transition in Venezuela today.
"...Dismantlement of [Venezuela's] regime requires a careful balancing act from the United States: It should be fast enough to exploit leverage that may not last, yet slow enough to prevent a Chavista backlash against Rodríguez that could demand deeper American involvement."
The case of Hungary shows how autocrats can rig elections legally, using legislative majorities to change the law and neutralize the opposition at every turn, no matter what strategy they adopt.
The slide from democracy to authoritarianism is often subtle, gradual, and driven from within. The newly launched Tyranny Tracker is a sophisticated tool for classifying political regimes across the spectrum.
"The Trump administration’s leverage over the regime now led by Maduro’s former deputy, Delcy Rodríguez, is extraordinary...The central question remains whether that leverage will be used to secure a genuine democratic transition," writes Alejandro Tarre.
People are losing faith in democracy’s ability to deliver social progress. But are democracies better than autocracies at promoting economic growth, alleviating poverty, and creating healthier, more educated, and more peaceful societies? On all counts, the answer is yes.
Today, governments can see who buys what, who pays whom, and who donates to which cause. But they cannot easily trace or confiscate Bitcoin. The digital currency offers a lifeline to democratic movements operating in the most repressive places.
Newspaper publisher Jimmy Lai was just sentenced to twenty years in prison. His persecution offers a window into how freedom has been undone in Hong Kong. It should be a warning to us all.
The slide from democracy to authoritarianism is often subtle, gradual, and driven from within. The newly launched Tyranny Tracker is a sophisticated tool for classifying political regimes across the spectrum.
The country’s civil society is reemerging, opposition leaders are returning, and activists are taking to the streets. Even more, Washington has the leverage to bring about real change. Will it seize the moment?
Jimmy Lai will be remembered in history as a man of integrity who, while the wealthy and elite across the West bowed to the winds of authoritarianism, stood tall.
Beijing should do the honorable thing, grant him humanitarian parole, and let him leave China.