Madalina Botan
Romania’s recent elections didn’t just happen at the ballot box. They unfolded across TikTok, Facebook, X, and other similar platforms on which nationalism, conspiracy, and algorithmic propaganda turned fringe voices into front-page politics. Madalina Botan argues that this digital battleground expanded beyond borders, as Romanians abroad became powerful co-authors of a polarised political story Read more
Michael Asiedu
Chad's 20-year conviction of opposition leader Succès Masra reveals how African courts have become weaponised against dissent. Across the continent, writes Michael Asiedu, from Benin to Uganda, authoritarian regimes are increasingly using fabricated charges to silence opponents. This, he says, masks repression behind democratic facades, erodes judicial independence, and weakens the prospects for genuine democratic transition Read more
Adrian Favero
The recent Dutch parliamentary elections and the popular vote on electronic ID in Switzerland revealed the considerable influence of the expat diaspora, which adds crucial votes to overall election results. National political parties, argue Adrian Favero and Gilles Pittoors, need to harness the power of transnational organisations to mobilise non-resident voters Read more
Mimi Mihăilescu
The Dead Internet Theory, once dismissed as 'paranoid fantasy', now offers a disturbingly useful framework for understanding digital politics. Mimi Mihăilescu argues that the theory's growing credibility masks deeper questions about whether we're overestimating AI's political power while underestimating our willingness to accept technological determinism Read more
John Chin
Paul Biya, the world’s oldest head of state and the second-longest ruling leader in Africa, ran for a record eighth term earlier this month. John Chin and Julien Derroitte assess Cameroon’s prospects for peace and democracy in Africa’s turbulent coup belt Read more
John Ryan
The recent municipal election results in North Rhine-Westphalia barely disguise Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s unpopularity. The result offers no respite for the CDU/CSU-SPD government at national level. Bold actions are needed domestically to tackle Germany’s deep and structural challenges, argues John Ryan Read more
Robert Nordström
Has Japan really swung to the right? Robert Nordström explores how the collapse of one-party dominance has fuelled European-style populism — and opened the door to wider social change Read more
Vera Tika
Nicușor Dan’s narrow victory over far-right challenger George Simion on 18 May averted the election of Romania's first openly illiberal president. Yet Simion still managed to attract 46.4% of the vote. Vera Tika reveals how ideas born under the Iron Guard, refined under Nicolae Ceaușescu’s national-communism, and weaponised by TikTok, now dominate Romanian politics — and are testing Europe’s eastern frontier of democracy Read more
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