Damon Wilson

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol during the third Summit for Democracy in Seoul on March 18. Evelyn Hockstein/AFP via Getty Images

MundoAsia

As democracy faces a growing assault around the world, South Korea is emerging as a country that is uniquely positioned to help lead a global democratic renewal. When Seoul held the 1988 Summer Olympics, it helped introduce South Korea to the world as a modern nation. Hosting the third Summit for Democracy this week reflects South Korea’s new ambition to support the expansion of freedom around the world, especially in the Indo-Pacific and in the global south.

South Korea’s transformation from devastation after the Korean War to economic powerhouse has inspired many developing countries. Successive Korean administrations have focused on economic development at home while maintaining an alliance with the United States and managing relations with regional powers to keep the peace on the Korean peninsula.…  Seguir leyendo »

Members of the rebel group Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army are seen with weapons purportedly seized from the Myanmar army, in the town of Chinshwehaw in Shan state on Oct. 28. The photo was distributed by Kokang Media, a rebel-affiliated news outlet. (Kokang Media/AP)

MundoAsia

Nov. 8 marked the third anniversary of elections in Myanmar, whose results were overturned by a military coup on Feb. 1, 2021. The coup set in motion some of the largest, most diverse protests in the country’s history, which subsequently led to a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy activists. Today, the junta is prosecuting a war of terror, marked by airstrikes against civilians, the blocking of humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable, and the arrests of thousands of political prisoners.

In recent weeks, however, the junta is facing serious military setbacks, especially in the country’s north, at the hands of an alliance of fighters composed of the country’s ethnic minorities.…  Seguir leyendo »

Europa

Vladimir Putin has done this before. When he invaded Georgia in August 2008, Western diplomacy and pressure denied him his ultimate goal: marching to Tbilisi and deposing Georgia’s democratically elected government. But Putin seized two areas, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, that Russian troops occupy to this day.

The United States and its European allies imposed diplomatic and considered economic sanctions on Russia. The goal was to convince Putin that the strategic costs of his action outweighed the tactical benefits and to deter him from similar actions. These measures were reversed in the “reset” of relations with Russia that began in 2009.…  Seguir leyendo »

InternacionalOTAN

The long-term need for stronger political leadership is NATO's most important challenge. The eurozone debt crisis and substantial reductions in defense spending have badly weakened Europe's military capabilities and sapped its ambitions for global leadership. The decline is so severe that former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates warned of a "dim, if not dismal" future for NATO. Meanwhile, the United States has identified Asia and the Middle East as its top foreign policy priorities, leaving many NATO allies skeptical of Washington's enduring commitment to Europe's security.

Chicago presents a chance for President Barack Obama and NATO leaders to push back on this gloom and doom.…  Seguir leyendo »

Europa

Diplomats recently initialed a landmark agreement intended to draw Ukraine closer to the European Union, but the continued imprisonment of two major opposition leaders is pushing Ukraine further from its European aspirations.

In the coming months, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych must choose between consolidating power through undemocratic means and advancing his nation’s European aspirations. By ending selective prosecutions, pardoning imprisoned political leaders without conditions, and ensuring free and fair elections this fall, Yanukovych could become the leader who anchors Ukraine to Europe. If he fails to do so, he will be yet another politician to disappoint Ukrainians.

As part of a Freedom House mission of American and Ukrainian analysts to examine the state of democracy in Ukraine, I visited former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko and former interior minister Yuri Lutsenko in Kachanivska and Lukyanivska prisons, respectively, this month.…  Seguir leyendo »