Turkey’s invasion of Syria: A democratic crisis
Ras al-Ayn bombing on October 10, 2019. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. When United States President Donald Trump ordered the withdrawal of...
University of the Philippines, Diliman
In the Philippines, the biggest threat to press freedom is Duterte
President Rodrigo Duterte. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Ten years ago, on November 23, 2009, 58 people—32 of them journalists—were...
Japan’s Democracy under Abe: National Security over Civil Liberties?
Freedom of assembly and association as well as speech, press, and all other forms of expression are guaranteed. No censorship shall be maintained...
South Korea’s Kind of Populism
“The sovereignty of the Republic of Korea shall reside in the people and the authority shall emanate from the people.”-Section 2, Article 1,...
Severity of Curtailing Press Freedom in the Philippines: Is history repeating itself?
Article 3, Section 4 of the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines states that “No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of the...
Duterte’s Metamorphosis: From an Illiberal Democrat to an Authoritarian?
Metamorphosis, a Greek word that means transformation in structure or substance by supernatural means. Like butterflies, “democratic” leaders...
Rebirth of Democracy or a More Chaotic Political Crisis in Bolivia?
The tension is still high and Morales’ supporters were claiming that Evo Morales was a victim of a coup drawn by the military and political...
Are we looking at a future populist in the Philippines?
What was once crowded with huge amount of trash and foul-smelling sidewalks, the Divisoria district in the Philippines’ capital city, Manila, was...
Is There Judicial Independence in Duterte’s Philippines?
A review of salient cases that have been considered by the Supreme Court suggests a judiciary largely unwilling to rule against the president....