Democracy

USAID develops a bad reputation among some foreign leaders

2013-05-06 20:00:00

WASHINGTON — When Bolivian President Evo Morales expelled the U.S. Agency for International Development from his impoverished country last week, he complained that Washington "still has a mentality of domination and submission" in the region. It...

Rich liberal donors throw weight behind Obama agenda

2013-05-04 00:00:00

WASHINGTON — An influential network of some of the country's wealthiest liberal political donors is steering resources to an advocacy group backing President Obama's agenda and to organizations working to pass immigration reform, providing a surge...

David Graeber looks at the Occupy movement, from the inside

2013-04-19 07:00:00

"It's a difficult business," writes David Graeber, "creating a new, alternative civilization." Just open a window or turn on the TV — the same old civilization is rotting all around us. Budget cuts, police shootings, endless and ever-broadening...

'Arab Spring,' once an inspiration, now a more cautionary tale

2013-04-17 02:00:00

Two years ago, the "Arab Spring" that deposed dictators and demagogues was an inspiration to hundreds of millions of repressed souls across the Middle East who yearned for a say in how they were governed. Today, with the Egyptian economy in ruins,...

Reforms inch along in Pakistan

2013-04-10 00:00:00

Pakistan is beset by a torrent of maladies. Its government is bankrupt. Its economy is mired in stagflation as the population booms. Terrorists strike all corners of the country. Civil conflict in its largest city, Karachi, has evolved from feuds...

On Iraq war anniversary, Condoleezza Rice announces a book

2013-03-19 11:10:00

On March 19, 2003, American troops rolled into Iraq, in search of weapons of mass destruction. “We don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud,” warned Condoleezza Rice, President Bush’s national security advisor. In the long war...

Transcript: Rand Paul's filibuster of John Brennan's CIA nomination

2013-03-07 11:21:00

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) delivered a nearly 13-hour filibuster Wednesday of John Brennan’s nomination to lead the CIA. Paul used his time on the floor to question the legality of the White House's policies on drone use, beginning at 11:47 a.m. EST and...

Kenyan presidential loser Raila Odinga contests result

2013-03-09 09:26:00

NAIROBI, Kenya -- In a setback for Kenya’s efforts to cement its democracy, presidential contender Raila Odinga on Saturday refused to concede defeat in a close election he said was fraught with fraud and irregularities. But he called for calm and...

Interview: Why the world is losing faith in democracy

2013-03-30 02:00:00

In the heady days of 1989, nondemocratic regimes fell like dominoes to the peaceful march of�activists across Eastern Europe. Even China briefly appeared vulnerable to popular demands for a voice in how the country is ruled -- until the crackdown at�...

Al Gore, still energized

2013-02-06 00:00:00

Al Gore hails from Tennessee, but when he comes to California next week, he'll be coming back to his spiritual home. In 2000, Californians gave him a double-digit lead — 1.3 million votes — over George W. Bush for president. His documentary,...

Democracy activist arrives home after release by Vietnam

2013-01-30 23:03:50

Congress and the lost art of compromise

2013-01-14 00:00:00

Twenty-six years ago, I walked into the U.S. Capitol as a newly elected congressman, representing a district that stretched from Simi Valley to Gorman to Catalina Island. This month, I cast my last vote in Congress, joining 84 other Republicans and 172...

Myanmar protesters offer prayers at the Sule Pagoda after they agreed to call off a rally when asked by the authorities to do so, in downtown Yangon on September 26, 2011.

2011-09-26 12:11:51

Logline: Luc Besson 's biopic of Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi . Plus: Role seems tailor made for Michele Yeoh. Minus: With democracy still a distant dream for Burma, no feel-good ending.

2011-09-07 10:49:15

An "indignant" protester wears tape on her mouth reading "Kidnapped democracy" during in a demonstration against plans to enshrine balanced budget rules in the constitution in Madrid.

2011-08-30 00:00:00