Nations in Transit 2020: Dropping the Democratic Facade
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
Nationwide March to Commemorate 27Th Anniversary of Khojaly
A nationwide march has been held in Baku to commemorate the 27th anniversary of Khojaly genocide, one of the bloodiest crimes in the history of mankind. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, first lady Mehriban Aliyeva and family members attended the march. TheThe nationwide nationwide march, march, which which began began from from the the Azadlyg Azadlyg Square Square in inKhatai Khatai district, district, involves involves ten ten thousands thousands of of people.people. They They gathered gathered to to pay pay tribute tribute to to victims victims of of Khojaly Khojaly tragedy tragedy and and draw draw the the world world community`s community`s attention attention to to this this crime against humanity, which was committed by the Armenian fascists. WithWith President President Ilham Ilham Aliyev Aliyev and and first first lady lady Mehriban Mehriban Aliyeva Aliyeva in in the the front front row, row, the the marchers marchers started started moving moving in in thethe directiondirection ofof thethe KhojalyKhojaly memorialmemorial inin KhataiKhatai district.district. Thousands of young people gathered along the avenues and streets that the marchers are moving. They hold portraitsportraits of innocent of innocent victims victims of the of bloodythe bloody event event – slaughtered – slaughtered children, children, women women and andelders elders – photos – photos depicting depicting abominableabominable scenesscenes ofof slaughter,slaughter, placardsplacards demandingdemanding toto bringbring toto accountaccount andand -
EU Relations with Armenia and Azerbaijan.Pdf
DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR EXTERNAL POLICIES POLICY DEPARTMENT IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS EU relations with Armenia and Azerbaijan ABSTRACT The EU is currently reshaping its relationship with Armenia and Azerbaijan through new agreements for which the negotiations ended (Armenia) or started (Azerbaijan) in February 2017. After Yerevan’s decision to join the EAEU (thereby renouncing to sign an AA/DCFTA), the initialling of the CEPA provides a new impetus to EU-Armenia relations. It highlights Armenia’s lingering interest in developing closer ties with the EU and provides a vivid illustration of the EU’s readiness to respond to EaP countries’ specific needs and circumstances. The CEPA is also a clear indication that the EU has not engaged in a zero- sum game with Russia and is willing to exploit any opportunity to further its links with EaP countries. The launch of negotiations on a new EU-Azerbaijan agreement – in spite of serious political and human rights problems in the country – results from several intertwined factors, including the EU’s energy security needs and Baku’s increasing bargaining power. At this stage, Azerbaijan is interested only in forms of cooperation that are not challenging the political status quo. However, the decline in both world oil prices and domestic oil production in this country is creating bargaining opportunities for the EU in what promises to be a difficult negotiation. EP/EXPO/B/AFET/FWC/2013-08/Lot6/15 EN October 2017 - PE 603.846 © European Union, 2017 Policy Department, Directorate-General for External Policies This paper was requested by the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs. -
1 Hybrid Regimes, the Rule of Law, and External Influence on Domestic Change
9780415451024-Ch01 4/16/08 7:00 PM Page 1 1 Hybrid regimes, the rule of law, and external influence on domestic change Amichai Magen and Leonardo Morlino Introduction At the beginning of the twenty-first century, two sets of phenomena are challenging our understanding of democracy and democratization. First, transition from authoritarian regimes into some form of democracy is no longer understood to constitute the most prevalent or important change in worldwide democratization processes. Second, contemporary processes of domestic political change are unfolding within a radically transformed inter- national environment compared to even two decades ago (Gershman 2005; Whitehead 2004). As the Freedom House organization has been underlining in its reports over the last decade,1 etc. the stable, closed authoritarian regime has become something of a rarity. While in 1974 – the year that heralded the launch of the “third wave” of global democratization with the Portuguese Revolução dos Cravos (Huntington 1991) – the number of democracies on the planet stood at a mere 39, at the end of 2006, out of 193 independent countries, 123 ranked as electoral democracies (Freedom House 2006). Thus, for the first time in human history, democracy had become not only a universal aspiration, but the predominant form of government in the world, and the only form enjoying broad international legitimacy (McFaul 2004; Gershman 2005; Sen 1999). The triumph of democracy, moreover, has (so far at least) proven steadier than many would have expected, with cases of outright breakdowns and reversions to autocracy, and fears of a “reverse wave” to autocracy, largely held at bay (Diamond 2000; 2005). -
Spotlight on Azerbaijan
Spotlight on azerbaijan provides an in-depth but accessible analysis of the major challenges Azerbaijan faces regarding democratic development, rule of law, media freedom, property rights and a number of other key governance and human rights issues while examining the impact of its international relationships, the economy and the unresolved nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the domestic situation. it argues that UK, EU and Western engagement in Azerbaijan needs to go beyond energy diplomacy but that increased engagement must be matched by stronger pressure for reform. Edited by Adam hug (Foreign policy Centre) Spotlight on Azerbaijan contains contributions from leading Azerbaijan experts including: Vugar Bayramov (Centre for Economic and Social Development), Michelle Brady (American Bar Association Rule of law initiative), giorgi gogia (human Rights Watch), Vugar gojayev (human Rights house-Azerbaijan) , Jacqueline hale (oSi-EU), Rashid hajili (Media Rights institute), tabib huseynov, Monica Martinez (oSCE), Dr Katy pearce (University of Washington), Firdevs Robinson (FpC) and Denis Sammut (linKS). The Foreign Policy Centre Spotlight on Suite 11, Second floor 23-28 Penn Street London N1 5DL United Kingdom www.fpc.org.uk [email protected] aZERBaIJaN © Foreign Policy Centre 2011 Edited by adam Hug all rights reserved ISBN-13 978-1-905833-24-5 ISBN-10 1-905833-24-5 £4.95 Spotlight on Azerbaijan Edited by Adam Hug First published in May 2012 by The Foreign Policy Centre Suite 11, Second Floor, 23-28 Penn Street London N1 5DL www.fpc.org.uk [email protected] © Foreign Policy Centre 2012 All Rights Reserved ISBN 13: 978-1-905833-24-5 ISBN 10: 1-905833-24-5 Disclaimer: The views expressed in this report are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foreign Policy Centre. -
Azerbaijan on the International Arena
Administrative Department of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan P R E S I D E N T I A L L I B R A R Y Azerbaijan on the international arena Azerbaijan - UN Azerbaijan – European Union Azerbaijan - Council of Europe Azerbaijan - OSCE Azerbaijan - UNESCO Azerbaijan – OIC Azerbaijan – Guam Azerbaijan - NATO 1 Administrative Department of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan P R E S I D E N T I A L L I B R A R Y Azerbaijan on the international arena Azerbaijan has been following an independent foreign policy since gaining independence in 1991. This policy aims at the strengthening and development of the state system and the protection of the national interests of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan builds its foreign policy on the principle of respect to the international legal standards and norms, the state sovereignty and territorial integrity and the principles of nonintervention into the internal affairs. The foreign policy of Azerbaijan, adhering to these principles and speaking on behalf of the national interests targets such urgent issues as the risks and challenges to the national security and territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of the republic and the prevention of the intervention of the Republic of Armenia. The major priorities of the foreign policy of Azerbaijan are the establishment of the regional peace and stability, the implementation of large transport and cooperation projects. The attraction of the foreign capital to the implementation of different projects on the development of the country's economics for more effective protection of the national interests plays a great role in the foreign policy of Azerbaijan in the present-day world. -
THE RISE of COMPETITIVE AUTHORITARIANISM Steven Levitsky and Lucan A
Elections Without Democracy THE RISE OF COMPETITIVE AUTHORITARIANISM Steven Levitsky and Lucan A. Way Steven Levitsky is assistant professor of government and social studies at Harvard University. His Transforming Labor-Based Parties in Latin America is forthcoming from Cambridge University Press. Lucan A. Way is assistant professor of political science at Temple University and an academy scholar at the Academy for International and Area Studies at Harvard University. He is currently writing a book on the obstacles to authoritarian consolidation in the former Soviet Union. The post–Cold War world has been marked by the proliferation of hy- brid political regimes. In different ways, and to varying degrees, polities across much of Africa (Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbab- we), postcommunist Eurasia (Albania, Croatia, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine), Asia (Malaysia, Taiwan), and Latin America (Haiti, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru) combined democratic rules with authoritarian governance during the 1990s. Scholars often treated these regimes as incomplete or transi- tional forms of democracy. Yet in many cases these expectations (or hopes) proved overly optimistic. Particularly in Africa and the former Soviet Union, many regimes have either remained hybrid or moved in an authoritarian direction. It may therefore be time to stop thinking of these cases in terms of transitions to democracy and to begin thinking about the specific types of regimes they actually are. In recent years, many scholars have pointed to the importance of hybrid regimes. Indeed, recent academic writings have produced a vari- ety of labels for mixed cases, including not only “hybrid regime” but also “semidemocracy,” “virtual democracy,” “electoral democracy,” “pseudodemocracy,” “illiberal democracy,” “semi-authoritarianism,” “soft authoritarianism,” “electoral authoritarianism,” and Freedom House’s “Partly Free.”1 Yet much of this literature suffers from two important weaknesses. -
ESS9 Appendix A3 Political Parties Ed
APPENDIX A3 POLITICAL PARTIES, ESS9 - 2018 ed. 3.0 Austria 2 Belgium 4 Bulgaria 7 Croatia 8 Cyprus 10 Czechia 12 Denmark 14 Estonia 15 Finland 17 France 19 Germany 20 Hungary 21 Iceland 23 Ireland 25 Italy 26 Latvia 28 Lithuania 31 Montenegro 34 Netherlands 36 Norway 38 Poland 40 Portugal 44 Serbia 47 Slovakia 52 Slovenia 53 Spain 54 Sweden 57 Switzerland 58 United Kingdom 61 Version Notes, ESS9 Appendix A3 POLITICAL PARTIES ESS9 edition 3.0 (published 10.12.20): Changes from previous edition: Additional countries: Denmark, Iceland. ESS9 edition 2.0 (published 15.06.20): Changes from previous edition: Additional countries: Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden. Austria 1. Political parties Language used in data file: German Year of last election: 2017 Official party names, English 1. Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs (SPÖ) - Social Democratic Party of Austria - 26.9 % names/translation, and size in last 2. Österreichische Volkspartei (ÖVP) - Austrian People's Party - 31.5 % election: 3. Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs (FPÖ) - Freedom Party of Austria - 26.0 % 4. Liste Peter Pilz (PILZ) - PILZ - 4.4 % 5. Die Grünen – Die Grüne Alternative (Grüne) - The Greens – The Green Alternative - 3.8 % 6. Kommunistische Partei Österreichs (KPÖ) - Communist Party of Austria - 0.8 % 7. NEOS – Das Neue Österreich und Liberales Forum (NEOS) - NEOS – The New Austria and Liberal Forum - 5.3 % 8. G!LT - Verein zur Förderung der Offenen Demokratie (GILT) - My Vote Counts! - 1.0 % Description of political parties listed 1. The Social Democratic Party (Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs, or SPÖ) is a social above democratic/center-left political party that was founded in 1888 as the Social Democratic Worker's Party (Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei, or SDAP), when Victor Adler managed to unite the various opposing factions. -
Violent Extremism and Insurgency in Tajikistan: a Risk Assessment
VIOLENT EXTREMISM AND INSURGENCY IN TAJIKISTAN: A RISK ASSESSMENT AUGUST 14, 2013 This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by Dr. Eric McGlinchey for Management Systems International for USAID’s Office of Technical Support in the Bureau for the Middle East (USAID/ME/TS). VIOLENT EXTREMISM AND INSURGENCY IN TAJIKISTAN: A RISK ASSESSMENT DRAFT Contracted under AID-OAA-TO-11-00051 Democracy and Governance and Peace and Security in Asia and the Middle East Dr. Eric McGlinchey is Associate Professor of Politics and Government in the Department of Public and International Affairs at George Mason University. He is an expert in Central Asian regime change, comparative politics, and political Islam. He is the author of Chaos, Violence, Dynasty: Politics and Islam in Central Asia. DISCLAIMER The author’s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. CONTENTS Acronyms .................................................................................................................................... i Map ............................................................................................................................................ ii Executive Summary.................................................................................................................. iii I. Background: The Interplay of Religion and Politics in Tajikistan .....................................1 -
September 2000 Public Disclosure Authorized
20925 September 2000 Public Disclosure Authorized ANTICORRUPTION IN Public Disclosure Authorized RANSITION A Contribution to the Policy Debate Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized A W 0 R L D F R EE 0 F P 0 V E R T Y I Anticorruption in Transition A Contribution to the Policy Debate The World Bank Washington, D.C. Copyright © 2000 THE WORLDBANK 1818 H Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20433, USA All rights reserved Manufactured in the United States of America First printing September 2000 1 2 3 4 03 02 01 00 The opinions expressed in this report do not necessarily represent the views of the World Bank or its member governments. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this publication and accepts no responsibility whatsoever for any consequence of their use. The material in this publication is copyrighted. Requests for permission to reproduce portions of it should be sent to the Office of the Publisher at the address shown in the copyright notice above. The World Bank encourages dissemination of its work and will normally give permission promptly and, when the reproduction is for noncommercial purposes, without asking a fee. Permission to copy portions for classroom use is granted through the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., Suite 910, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, Massachusetts 01923, USA. ISBN 0-8213-4802-7 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data hasbeen appliedfor. TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword........................................................................ vii Acknowledgments ........................................................................ ix Abbreviations ........................................................................ xi Executive Summary ........................................................................ xiii Chapter 1 The Level and Pattern of Corruption in the Transition Countries............................... -
UC Berkeley Electronic Theses and Dissertations
UC Berkeley UC Berkeley Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title The Logic of Kleptocracy: Corruption, Repression, and Political Opposition in Post-Soviet Eurasia Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/92g1h187 Author LaPorte, Jody Marie Publication Date 2012 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California The Logic of Kleptocracy: Corruption, Repression, and Political Opposition in Post-Soviet Eurasia By Jody Marie LaPorte A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Jason Wittenberg, Co-chair Professor Michael S. Fish, Co-chair Professor David Collier Professor Victoria Bonnell Spring 2012 The Logic of Kleptocracy: Corruption, Repression, and Political Opposition in Post-Soviet Eurasia Copyright 2012 by Jody Marie LaPorte Abstract The Logic of Kleptocracy: Corruption, Repression, and Political Opposition in Post-Soviet Eurasia by Jody Marie LaPorte Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science University of California, Berkeley Professor Jason Wittenberg, co-chair Professor Michael S. Fish, co-chair This dissertation asks why some non-democratic regimes give political opponents significant leeway to organize, while others enforce strict limits on such activities. I examine this question with reference to two in-depth case studies from post-Soviet Eurasia: Georgia under President Eduard Shevardnadze and Kazakhstan under President Nursultan Nazarbayev. While a non- democratic regime was in place in both countries, opposition was highly tolerated in Georgia, but not allowed in Kazakhstan. I argue that these divergent policies can be traced to variation in the predominant source and pattern of state corruption in each country. -
Tajikistan by Raissa Muhutdinova
Tajikistan by Raissa Muhutdinova Capital: Dushanbe Population: 6.6 million GNI/capita: US$1,560 The social data above was taken from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s Transition Report 2007: People in Transition, and the economic data from the World Bank’s World Development Indicators 2008. Nations in Transit Ratings and Averaged Scores 1999 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Electoral Process 5.50 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.75 6.00 6.25 6.50 6.50 Civil Society 5.25 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 4.75 5.00 5.00 5.50 Independent Media 5.75 5.50 5.75 5.75 5.75 6.00 6.25 6.25 6.00 Governance* 6.25 6.00 6.00 6.00 5.75 n/a n/a n/a n/a National Democratic 6.25 Governance n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 6.00 6.25 6.25 Local Democratic 6.00 Governance n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 5.75 5.75 5.75 Judicial Framework 6.00 and Independence 5.75 5.75 5.75 5.75 5.75 5.75 5.75 5.75 Corruption 6.00 6.00 6.00 6.00 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 6.25 Democracy Score 5.75 5.58 5.63 5.63 5.71 5.79 5.93 5.96 6.07 * With the 2005 edition, Freedom House introduced separate analysis and ratings for national democratic governance and local democratic governance to provide readers with more detailed and nuanced analysis of these two important subjects. -
The City of Winds
Travel by Nivine Maktabi Baku the City of Winds Heyder Aliyev Center designed by Zaha Hadid. Should I call it the City of Caviar, Oil and Gaz or the land of Caucasian Carpets? It was in May, right after Beirut Designers’ Week, when I packed a small suitcase and I am specifying small as I admit it was a big mistake to try and travel light for a change. I was flying to Baku, capital of Azerbaijan, a city which name’s always fascinated me. In fact, for me, Azerbaijan, the home of the Caucasus, is a name I only crossed in my readings Oil tanks in the middle of the sea. and specially when researching on Caucasian carpets. I headed to Fairmont Hotel, known as the Flame towers, the tallest and biggest three skyscrapers in the city. An impressive archi- 4 am was the take off; of course I was sleepy and slept on both tecture overlooking the city and the Caspian Sea was awaiting me. connecting flights, from Beirut to Istanbul and Istanbul to Baku. As it is not yet a popular touristic destination, most passengers Due to my several travels to carpet manufacturing countries, were either locals or Turkish and around one or two foreigners Azerbaijan was actually a big surprise, very different from what I I would assume working for a petroleum company, BT or alike. imagined it. While still in the taxi, at some point I thought I was in Dubai, then some of the buildings and highways reminded me of Upon arrival, the sun was blinding and a line of black cabs were filling St Petersburg and then again the boulevards resembled Paris.