Korean Democracy in Times of Coronavirus
The Covid-19 pandemic has laid bare a series of troublesome truths, both about healthcare infrastructures in Western nations and the state of their democracies.
The quarantine they prescribed, albeit after periods of irresoluteness, drew embarrassing parallels to measures taken by China just a few weeks earlier. Social life has come to a near standstill without citizens being given a chance to deliberate, as procedures were discussed for the most part in closed-door meetings between the executive branch and appointed experts: the White House Coronavirus Task Force in the United States, the Scientific Council of France, etc. The general public has been hardly more involved in the West than in China.
In contrast, South Korea has thus far been the only significantly affected country to contain the spread of Covid-19 without shutting itself down or compromising even temporarily democratic institutions.
South Africa, A Fragile Democratic Model?
South Africa held general elections in May 2019. The African National Congress (ANC) emerged victorious, but failed to win over a majority of registered voters.
Hong Kong : The 2019 Protest Movement and the Future of Autonomy
The current protest movement in Hong Kong, which began with the proposed extradition law in June 2019 that would have considerably weakened the judicial border between Hong Kong and Mainland China, has set itself apart from the city’s numerous movements in recent years by its massive following. The protestors, who employ original strategies (online organization, absence of clear leadership, use of digital tools), achieved an initial success with the suspension of the proposed law in September. But even after the law’s withdrawal, massive protests and increasing acts of violence continued to grip the territory. Demands now center around an independent investigation into acts of police violence and on the revival of democratic reforms.
RAMSES 2020. A World without a Compass?
RAMSES 2020. A World without a Compass?, written by Ifri's research team and external experts, offers an in-depth and up-to-date analysis of geopolitics in today’s world.
A Global Governance That Protects? Global governance and the defence of democracy
Global governance emerged to deal with the gap between the plurality and diversity of states and the collective and transnational nature of increasingly complex global affairs.
Democracy in Africa: A Long and Winding Road
The architecture of democracy is complex, coupling a legal framework to a social foundation that allows it to take root.
Will There Be an Authoritarian Resurgence in Africa?
Elections are held on a regular basis in various African countries, but democracy is far from flourishing.
The Paradoxical Progression of Democracy in Mauritania
Mauritania's political system displays certain democratic qualities that go some way to meeting international standards.
"Post-Conflict" Democratization in Central Africa: An Anatomy of Failure
To create a political shift that draws a line under conflict once and for all, it is not always enough to draft a democratic constitution and call elections.
The European Union in Crisis: What Challenges Lie ahead and Why It Matters for Korea
The EU is currently undergoing serious challenges from inside such as Brexit and strengthening Euroscepticism, rising populism and changing political geography, anti-immigration moods as well as retarded economic recovery.
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