In 2024, we’ll truly find out how robust our democracies are to online disinformation campaigns: I'm Friday / Shutterstock Disinformation, sharing false information to deceive and mislead others, can take many forms. From edited “deepfake” videos made on smartphones to vast foreign-led information operations, politics and elections show how varied disinformation can be. Hailed as …
Voter suppression: how democracies around the world are using new rules to make it harder to vote: Attempts to stop voters getting to polling stations, increase waiting times to place a ballot or add restrictions on who can vote are becoming issues in democracies around the world. Techniques vary, but the intention is the same …
Stronger democracies have seen fewer excess deaths during COVID – new research: Lucem_mecul/Shutterstock Through the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become clear that an effective response to an emergency of this nature goes beyond the health system. While strengthening health infrastructure such as surveillance, testing and hospitals is key, we’ve also seen the use of non-pharmaceutical …
Elections: a global ranking rates US weakest among liberal democracies: A disappointing slide for the US after an election blighted by disinformation. Aaron Burson/Unsplash Defending democracy has suddenly become one of the central challenges of our age. The land war in Ukraine is widely considered a front line between autocratic rule and democratic freedom. The …
Pandemic parliaments: lessons learned from two years trying to run democracies living under COVID-19: Social distancing left Westminster's House of Commons virtually empty at times. UK Parliament/Flickr, CC BY-NC Parliaments matter more than ever in times of crisis. They oversee emergency responses, evaluate and pass legislation, and approve funds to meet urgent public needs. They …
Presidents who subvert democracies they vowed to protect can hit a brick wall: ask Jacob Zuma: Former South African president Jacob Zuma says he won't comply with a Constitutional Court order to appear before a commission on corruption. EFE-EPA/Yeshiel Panchia It can be tough when you are a former president in a democracy you have …
South Africa in the news: A ‘WHO’ For Democracies: The pandemic has thrown the defects of the existing world order into sharp relief. Most obviously, it has exposed the deficiencies of the World Health Organization (WHO) due to excessive Chinese …: “South Africa” – BingNews Snap CEO Evan Spiegel Calls for Reparations Commission, Higher Taxes …
Zuma era lessons: how democracies can be held hostage by party machinations: Jacob Zuma announces his decision to step down. Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko Jacob Zuma’s late night announcement that he would step down as president of South Africa followed days of tense negotiations within the governing African National Congress (ANC). The Conversation Africa asked academics what …