democracy news stories on Newser

People Aren't Smart Enough to Pick Smart Candidates

Matt Cantor — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 16:05:13 CST

When it comes to choosing a leader, we may simply be victims of our own ignorance. Researchers say that voters can't be trusted to choose experts on topics they themselves know little about—meaning, for instance, that we can't pick the candidate with the best tax policy without having a...

US Becoming 'Democracy in Name Only'

John Johnson — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 13:32:05 CDT

A new CBO report tells the same old story, writes Paul Krugman in the New York Times : The very rich are getting much richer at the expense of everyone else. Cue the think tanks and "obfuscators" who say it ain't so for all kinds of reasons. They're just trying to...

Libya Post-Gadhafi: Now What?

Matt Cantor — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 10:30:40 CDT

Libya is finally getting a shot at democracy—but experts expect growing pains as a divided tribal society makes the shift from decades of authoritarianism. Historically, such transitions have not gone well, political scientists tell the Christian Science Monitor . “We would actually feel fairly pessimistic about the prospects for this...

Clinton: Assad Is 'Running Out of Time'

Mark Russell — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:12:23 CDT

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and his allies are "running out of time," and need to begin democratic reforms, said Hillary Clinton today, or else his government is “going to see increasingly organized resistance.” Clinton was speaking at a democracy conference in Lithuania when she targeted Assad, reports Politico . “Today there...

10 Things That Need to Go Away

Evann Gastaldo — Sun, 15 May 2011 14:44:05 CDT

In the spirit of spring cleaning, the Washington Post asked 10 writers to nominate one thing “we'd all be better off tossing out this spring.” Their ideas: Engagement rings : “Here's a secret that the folks at De Beers don't want young people to know: All you need to do to...

Chinese Artist Missing After Cops Raid House

Mark Russell — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 02:41:34 CDT

Internationally renowned Chinese artist Ai Weiwei remains missing, more than a day after police stopped him at the Beijing international airport, raided his home, and questioned his wife and assistants. Ai—best-known as a consultant on Beijing's famous "bird's nest" Olympic stadium—has been an outspoken critic of China's government....

'Egypt Is a Mess' —but It's a Good Mess

John Johnson — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 13:38:06 CDT

Nicholas Kristof checks in on Egypt weeks after the fall of Hosni Mubarak and pronounces it "a mess." Protesters are still taking to the streets, the military-backed government is making noises about crackdowns, and army thugs are still beating up critics. "Yet for Americans, what is unfolding is perhaps a...

Wisconsin Battle About Power, Not Budget

Matt Cantor — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 12:27:05 CST

Wisconsin’s battle over union rights shares a key element with the protests in Egypt: In the end, it’s all about power, writes Paul Krugman for the New York Times . Gov. Scott Walker’s team is trying to make his state, and eventually the entire country, "less of a functioning democracy and...

Mideast Scrambles as Protests Spread

Mark Russell — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 04:21:03 CST

Mubarak has stepped down in Egypt, but other states around the Middle East and North Africa are scrambling to keep the lid on their simmering populations, trying combinations of reforms and crackdowns, reports the Los Angeles Times . Algeria responded to protests Saturday with thousands of police officers, and Iran has...