Good to Know: The U.S. and its military alliances
A closer look at what the U.S. gains from forming defense pacts.
Has time run out for Thailand’s prime minister?
Prayuth helped engineer a new constitution. Its term limits now complicate his political future.
Worried about the state of democracy? Here are some reasons to be optimistic instead.
These factors help countries return to democracy after an authoritarian spell, our research finds
Would China’s move to join this transpacific trade pact push the U.S. to rejoin? It’s complicated.
Membership would probably place China firmly at the center of regional and global supply chains.
Do the Olympics promote nationalism — and international conflict? Here’s the research.
Real-world rivalries often play out in the Olympic arena
Don’t expect regional organizations to rein in coups
Here’s why ASEAN and ECOWAS stumbled after recent coups in Mali and Myanmar.
How do you persuade skeptics to get vaccinated? Trust matters more than information.
That’s what we found by surveying more than 15 countries in five world regions
Thai protesters don’t like what the king and government are doing. Can they make them change?
Yes, citizens can hold even unelected leaders accountable
Rumors are flying that China is behind the coup in Myanmar. That’s almost certainly wrong.
But if the Myanmar crisis turns into a great power confrontation, China might back the generals.
Myanmar’s military distrusts the country’s ruling party. That’s why it staged a coup and detained leaders and activists.
The military thought it could share power. When relations broke down, it seized control.
15 countries just signed the world’s largest trade pact. The U.S. isn’t one of them.
Will the U.S. economy suffer as nations in the Asia-Pacific region get closer?
The pope said he supports civil unions for same-sex couples. American Catholics will approve.
Even Republican Catholics have a favorable view of lesbians and gay men.
Are influence campaigns trolling your social media feeds?
New research shows how citizens can know in real time.
The U.S. has dialed up the rhetoric on Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea
The verbal escalation of this dispute may make it harder to find offramps
Two women from Africa are among the leading candidates to head the WTO
Candidates have to navigate a highly political process to become director-general of the World Trade Organization
The WTO is getting a new boss. Here’s who’s in the running.
Some experts wonder who would want the job. Lots of people, apparently.
Which kinds of democracies respond more effectively to a pandemic?
When citizens vote for parties rather than individuals, countries gain better health systems
Why Thailand’s top court just dissolved a political party
A new survey explains why the military government fears that party’s popularity.
Trump threatens ‘sanctions like they’ve never seen’ if Iraq evicts U.S. forces. Can Iraq do it?
It’s likely that Iraq will expel U.S. forces.
Now that Trump has abandoned the Kurds, will other countries ever trust the U.S.?
Alliances are based on trust, not just U.S. assistance
The U.S. Navy and Southeast Asian nations held joint maneuvers for the first time. What are the key takeaways?
Beijing held similar maritime exercises in 2018.
Why Russia’s garbage protests turned violent
The bigger stink may be corruption, not trash.
Thailand’s March elections produced a clear threat to the military regime
Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, leader of the Future Forward Party, flashes a
Trump is again criticizing the Fed. Could that hurt the U.S. credit rating?
Countries pay an economic cost when politicians interfere with their central banks.
In Thailand’s political drama, what did the king know, and when did he know it?
On Friday, Princess Ubolratana of Thailand agreed to run for prime
Wait — what’s going on in Thailand? Here’s the background.
Last week brought an unprecedented event in the history of
How do resource-constrained countries commit to universal health care?
[caption id="attachment_45584" align="aligncenter" width="960"] A health official administers a polio
One-third of the world’s population lives in a declining democracy. That includes the United States.
[caption id="attachment_75078" align="aligncenter" width="960"] A man holds a flag outside
With (or without) Gina Haspel at CIA, could Trump revive the torture program?
[caption id="attachment_72744" align="aligncenter" width="960"] CIA Deputy Director Gina Haspel. (CIA/AP)[/caption]
Why Trump’s tariffs could weaken U.S. influence in the world
[caption id="attachment_50866" align="aligncenter" width="960"] A container area at the Yangshan
President Trump’s solar and washer tariffs may have now opened the floodgates of protectionism
Editor’s note: We asked Chad Bown to update his post
Is democracy in a worldwide decline? Nope. Here’s our data.
[caption id="attachment_66295" align="aligncenter" width="1484"] (Haraz N. Ghanbari/AP)[/caption] What is the
China’s three new economic challenges for the U.S.
[caption id="attachment_66167" align="aligncenter" width="960"] President Trump and Chinese President Xi
Four reasons Trump’s Asia trip is so important
As Donald Trump embarks on his first presidential trip to
When democracies are under attack, it’s time to rein in executive power
[caption id="attachment_52816" align="aligncenter" width="960"] In December 2016, Ryszard Petru, center,
How Egypt’s generals used street protests to stage a coup
[caption id="attachment_60579" align="aligncenter" width="960"] An Egyptian man holds a newspaper
Is democracy on the decline? Not as much as some pundits want you to believe.
[caption id="attachment_55669" align="aligncenter" width="960"] A huge “Vote!” flag waves above
There’s little evidence that dictators are toppling democracies
[caption id="attachment_59157" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, shakes
Can Trump count on Manila to put pressure on North Korea? 3 points to know.
[caption id="attachment_58378" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte speaks at
The Gulf states are turning to Asia in a big way. Here’s why it matters.
[caption id="attachment_57067" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Saudi Arabia's King Salman leaves with
Where are coups most likely to occur in 2017?
[caption id="attachment_43902" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Supporters of Tukish President Tayyip Erdogan
The number of countries with female political leaders has plummeted
[caption id="attachment_49686" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Hillary Clinton makes a concession speech
Trump may put 5 military officers in top posts. That’s unprecedented.
[caption id="attachment_50354" align="aligncenter" width="960"] President-elect Donald Trump and U.S. Marine
Food scarcity causes conflicts — but so can food abundance. Here’s why.
[caption id="attachment_49828" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Displaced Iraqis receive food at a
Thailand’s king helped unify the country. But there are other forces for nationalism.
[caption id="attachment_48401" align="aligncenter" width="960"] A Thai woman weeps as she
How will Trump supporters react if he loses?
What will happen if Hillary Clinton wins the U.S. presidency,
King Bhumibol of Thailand’s real legacy: remarkable political legitimacy
[caption id="attachment_48253" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Thailand's flag flies at half staff
Why Thailand just voted on another constitution — and why this matters to democracies elsewhere
[caption id="attachment_45033" align="aligncenter" width="960"] A Thai taxi motorbike rider holds
Turkey’s coup attempt was unusual, but not for the reasons you might expect
[caption id="attachment_44191" align="aligncenter" width="960"] An armed police officer stands guard
This is the problem with trying to destroy the Islamic State
[caption id="attachment_42441" align="aligncenter" width="960"] A fighter of the Islamic State
Yes, Benedict Anderson was a political scientist
[caption id="attachment_33809" align="aligncenter" width="576"] Benedict "Ben" Anderson pictured with the
Four developments to watch after Burma’s historic elections
[caption id="attachment_32445" align="aligncenter" width="1632"] Voters wait in line at a
It’s been 25 years since German reunification. Why are former East Germans responsible for so much xenophobic violence?
[caption id="attachment_11538" align="aligncenter" width="512"] Berliners sing and dance on top
The Middle East and East Asia: A tale of two economic trajectories
[caption id="attachment_28383" align="aligncenter" width="908"] People wait in line to buy
Why the Rohingya will continue to flee Myanmar, even if we try to deter them
[caption id="attachment_25439" align="aligncenter" width="1484"] Asylum seekers from Myanmar wait to
The Islamic State as an ordinary insurgency
[caption id="attachment_24819" align="aligncenter" width="620" class="center"] A flag of the Islamic
Executive agreements and Senate disagreements
[caption id="attachment_22569" align="alignleft" width="300"] John Kerry meets with Iranian Foreign
The best and worst elections of 2014
[caption id="attachment_21285" align="aligncenter" width="1430"] The global map of electoral integrity,
Why is terror Islamist?
[caption id="attachment_20587" align="alignnone" width="620"] This image made from a video
How the West selectively promotes democracy through sanctions
[caption id="attachment_20012" align="aligncenter" width="620"] Supporters of President Nicolas Maduro
Counter-terrorism in Central Asia requires international cooperation
[caption id="attachment_19433" align="alignnone" width="620"] FILE: Then-U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Hot pursuit in Syria and in history
[caption id="attachment_16272" align="aligncenter" width="575"] Pancho Villa (Smithsonian)[/caption] Secretary of State
The hunt for stable democracy
[caption id="attachment_14092" align="alignnone" width="620"] Thai Army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha
How oil helps dictatorships survive
Thai military secure a bridge adjacent to the Bangkok sky
How democracies are gamed for power and profit: an addendum to Piketty
Joshua Tucker: As part of our continuing collaboration with political
Will Thailand’s dramatic coup actually fix anything?
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="606" special=""] A protester, left, is
Will Thailand's dramatic coup actually fix anything?
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="606" special=""] A protester, left, is
Thailand’s cybercoup
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="606" special=""] Thai police and army soldiers
Thailand's cybercoup
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="606" special=""] Thai police and army soldiers
Autocrats now more vulnerable to being ousted by revolt
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="606" special=""] (Miguel Gutierrez/EPA) Opposition demonstrators clash
Where are the flawed elections?
Pippa Norris is the McGuire Lecturer in Comparative Politics at the John
Why Egypt's new constitution may not turn out as badly as you think
[caption id="attachment_5425" align="aligncenter" width="600" special=""] A man holds a poster
Why Thai protests are unlikely to yield electoral success
[caption id="attachment_3797" align="aligncenter" width="600" special=""] Anti-government protesters gather at a
PoliSci from around the Web
— Karthick Ramakrishnan and Pratheepan Gulasekaram in the Los Angeles Times
How the debt ceiling threatens to turn the U.S. into an economic turkey
[caption id="attachment_1948" align="aligncenter" width="542" special=""] (Frank Franklin/AP)[/caption] This is a
Australia's 2013 election: A divided left and a step to the right
The following is a post-election report on the 2013 Australian
How Did Intellectual Property Become a Free Trade Issue?
The decision by India's Supreme Court to deny a patent
Cracking Down
In December I published an article in Comparative Political Studies
Some Data on Latin American Coups
In earlier post, I passed along this query from a
Honduras Bleg
The removal of an elected president by the military, and