Category: IAD Op-Eds

Attribution: A woman shows her voting card during Zambias 2011 elections. Photo: Louise Mellor/DFID. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0 Democratic Governance Check: 2026 General Elections Following a decade marked by the authoritarian tendencies of Edgar Lungu’s government, Hakainde Hichilema’s victory in August 2021 was hailed as a democratic revival and an affirmation of…

Through structural causes and common political interests, political changes and reforms that take root in one often spread to all Western countries in one way or another in the end. Therefore, taking a longer look at Canada’s assisted suicide program (MAID, or Medical Assistance in Dying), the most developed in the Western world, isn’t only…

Attribution: Thule Air Base aerial view. Photo: TSGT Lee E. Schading / U.S. Air Force. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public Domain At the Munich Security Conference earlier this month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered an address that emphasised the shared democratic and civilisational bonds that unite America with its European allies. Sighs of…

The photo is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license, originally credited via the Press Information Department of Bangladesh. Ever since the ouster of former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh has struggled to regain its democratic roots. With bans on the Awami League, Hasinas old party, Bangladesh goes to…

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Northern Ireland has developed a model that is hugely underestimated by its citizens. It has managed to bring together two sides that lived in such a state of division, both politically and physically, that they found themselves mired in a 30 year conflict which cost 3,720 people their lives. Although this number is a fraction…

Lack of institutional and international support for Turkey’s protestors condemns the country to continue its authoritarian drift After jailing his main political rival in future elections, opposition candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu, critics fear that Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan “seems to have crossed the Rubicon“. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that Erdogan will be able to…

The recent shifts and statements from newly reelected president Donald Trump have provoked a shockwave within Europe. Despite the recent announcements of the resumption of military support to Ukraine, European countries are now assuming that US allyship and military support are not to be taken for granted, spurring the political will to reinforce European defense,…

Written by Valentin Julliard, After a successful no-confidence vote that dissolved the government, French President, Emmanuel Macron, appointed a new Prime Minister, François Bayrou. Bayrou is the fourth Prime Minister of 2024, and another controversial choice. Debates spurred in French media after his appointment, with commenters estimating the chances of his new government, supporters legitimising…

Written by Carmona Polá, Mozambique’s government has long faced criticism for its democratic shortcomings, particularly regarding transparency and accountability. From flawed electoral processes to a lack of open dialogue with citizens, the ruling party has often prioritized consolidating power over fostering trust in democratic institutions. These habits undermine the principles of democracy, leaving citizens disillusioned…