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Democratisation

February 2, 2022

State-building prior to democratisation does not enhance economic development

Haakon Gjerløw In a new book, Haakon Gjerløw, Carl Henrik Knutsen, Tore Wig and Matthew C. Wilson challenge conventional wisdom. Building state institutions before democratisation does not help long-term economic development, after all Read more

November 29, 2021

Sudan’s army is at a stalemate, and the costs are mounting

Hager Ali A military coup on 25 October put an abrupt end to Sudan’s fragile democratic transition. Hager Ali argues that although the coup pre-empted a foreseeable power-transfer, the military also created a much bigger problem for itself. The same socio-political conditions that kept al-Bashir in power for decades now threaten the military’s capacity to govern Read more

September 1, 2021

Tunisia’s democracy is under challenge, but not under threat

Hager Ali Over recent weeks, Western pundits have been quick to claim recent events in Tunisia are evidence of a ‘failed democracy experiment’. But Hager Ali and Ameni Mehrez argue that the protests are more a testament to democratic resilience than failure Read more

August 10, 2021

Holding elections in Libya is not a solution to the country’s deep-seated problems

Hager Ali Only a few months remain before elections in Libya. But Western policymakers are focusing on election preparations and the withdrawal of foreign mercenaries, to the neglect of other pressing matters. Hager Ali argues that unless Libya tackles its political and military problems, elections may prove little more than a sticking plaster on a bullet wound Read more

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