Democracy

( Tomdispatch.com ) – If you’re like many of my friends, I know what you’re thinking: OMG, how is it even possible that half the country is going to vote for that guy? And there’s a slightly less common corollary to that: I mean, really, who are these people who say that they’re undecided? Who […]

Democracy

What’s at Stake in our Political Storm?

Andrea Mazzarino

( Tomdispatch.com ) – Images of homes that collapsed under mudslides or falling trees, waterlogged farms, and debris-filled roads drove home (yes, home!) to me recently the impact of Hurricane Helene on rural areas in the southeastern United States. That hurricane and the no-less-devastating Hurricane Milton that followed it only exacerbated already existing underlying problems […]

Donald Trump

Just how Traumatizing will Election 2024 Be?

Karen J. Greenberg

( Tomdispatch.com) – Imagine my surprise when, nearly eight months ago, commenting on the state of the country as it approached the 2024 presidential election, New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg noted that “Biden has set himself the task of trying to jolt the country out of its learned helplessness in the face of Trump’s […]

Democracy

Britain’s Labour beat the Right, but Must hasten to Win Public Trust and heal Rift with own Left

Farhang Jahanpour

Oxford (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – Britain’s latest General Election held on 4th July was nothing short of a major political earthquake that put an end to 14 years of often tumultuous and chaotic Conservative rule. The Labor Party, led by Sir Keir Starmer, overturned a big Conservative majority of 80 seats in the […]

Elections

Amid Astonishing low Turnout, Iranians Mull Continuing Presidential Election Boycott in 2nd Round

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

By Kian Sharifi | – ( RFE/RL ) – More than 60 percent of Iran’s electorate did not vote in the June 28 presidential election, despite it being billed as an important poll given the role that the next president could play in the succession to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. With no candidate managing […]

Democracy

With Biden’s Bear Hug of Israeli Atrocities, World’s View of American Democracy Craters

Ramzy Baroud

( Middle East Monitor ) – The Democracy Perception Index (DPI) issued its 2024 report on 8 May, revealing important and interesting shifts in global perceptions about democracy, geopolitics and international relations. The conclusions in the report were based on the views of over 62,000 respondents from 53 countries, representing roughly 75 per cent of […]

Democracy

Secular Opposition Crushes pro-Islam AKP in Turkey’s Local Elections

Arzu Geybullayeva

( Globalvoices.org ) – Turkey’s local elections which took place on March 31, will go down in history as one of its most surprising. Turkey’s demoralized opposition, namely the [secular] Republican People’s Party (CHP), dominated in what many pundits described as the ruling [center-right] Justice and Development Party’s worst defeat of its 22-year existence. For […]

Democracy

The Man who Disproved Trump’s Election Fraud Claims Looks at the Problems with New York’s Voter Data

Ken Block

Barrington, RI (Special to Informed Comment) – If the oldest human alive is 116, how did 368 118-year-olds vote in New York in 2020? Election districts that do a terrible job identifying their voters expose their state to problems far beyond a few votes by individuals with impossible ages. Consider that in 2020 New York […]

Elections

Growing ‘Despondency’ And Hard-Liners’ Dominance: Key Takeaways From Iran’s Elections

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

By By Kian Sharifi ( RFE/ RL ) – Iran’s parliamentary elections on March 1 witnessed a historically low turnout, in a blow to the legitimacy of the clerical establishment. The official turnout of 41 percent was the lowest for legislative elections since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Critics claim the real turnout was likely even […]