Democracy Archives - Robert Lansing Institute

Protests in Iran (Dec 2025–Jan 2026): Prospects for the Regime and the Future of Democracy

Iran is experiencing the most lethal protest wave in decades, triggered by economic collapse dynamics (currency depreciation, inflation, cost-of-living shock) and amplified by accumulated political rage. Death toll reporting varies…

January 19, 2026Iran

Democracy Intelligence ops National Security

Russia’s “Internet Kill Switch” Export: How Moscow Helped Iran Crush Protests

Russia allegedly helped Iran disable mobile communications and isolate the country from the global Internet as mass anti-government protests escalated into the most serious domestic challenge the Islamic Republic has…

January 16, 2026Cyberattacks, Iran, Russia

Democracy Governance

Diaspora power and the 2025 Kosovo elections

Mandate, Momentum, and a Democratic Dilemma The December 2025 snap parliamentary elections in Kosovo marked a turning point after nearly a year of institutional paralysis. Vetëvendosje (VV), led by Albin Kurti,…

January 12, 2026Kosovo

Democracy Governance

Uganda’s January 15, 2026 Elections: Managed Continuity, High Repression Risk, and Uncertain Post-Vote Stability

Uganda heads into presidential and parliamentary elections on 15 January 2026 under conditions that strongly favor the incumbent and constrain the opposition’s ability to campaign and mobilize. The Electoral Commission has formally…

January 8, 2026elections, Uganda

Democracy Governance Intelligence ops

Envelopes of Cash: Russian Espionage and Influence Operations in the European Parliament”

During a debate in the European Parliament titled “Cases of Pro-Russian Espionage in the European Parliament,”participants stated the need to establish a special body tasked with investigating the possible involvement of…

December 19, 2025

Democracy Geopolitics Governance ideology National Security

From Partner to Principal Threat: How Russia Chose Confrontation—and What It Could Have Been

In first speech after taking office, Blaise Metreweli, the head of Britain’s intelligence service MI6, warned that Russia represents an aggressive, expansionist, and revisionist threat. Metreweli stated that assassination plots, sabotage, cyberattacks, and…

December 16, 2025Russia

Corruption Democracy Governance Propaganda and Disinformation

Protecting the Kremlin While Ignoring the Children: Orbán’s Response to Hungary’s Deepening Trust Crisis in Hungary Crisis

On 13 December 2025, a mass march took place in Budapest toward the office of Hungary’s prime minister on Castle Hill under the slogan “Protect the Children!”. Protesters carried torches and soft…

December 15, 2025Hungary

Democracy Governance

Elections Without Choice: Power, Ethnicity, and Foreign Influence in Congo-Brazzaville

Presidential elections are scheduled in the Republic of the Congo in 2026. Incumbent president Denis Sassou Nguesso, in power continuously since 1997 (and earlier from 1979–1992), is widely expected to run again…

December 12, 2025Congo-Brazzaville

Coup Democracy Drug trafficking

A Narco-State in Flux: Why the 2025 Guinea-Bissau Coup Creates Space for Russian Influence

26–27 November 2025, the army ousted President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and installed Gen. Horta N’Ta Na Man as transitional leader. Guinea-Bissau is a small, chronically unstable state where three fault lines overlap:…

November 27, 2025Guinea-Bissau

Corruption Democracy Propaganda and Disinformation

The Red Cross Under Moscow’s Control: Risks for the Global Humanitarian System

The Russian Red Cross (RRC) continues to receive international funding despite evidence of its close cooperation with pro-Kremlin structures and its involvement in projects on the occupied territories of Ukraine.In…

November 26, 2025RedCross, Russia, Ukraine

Democracy

Protests in Iran (Dec 2025–Jan 2026): Prospects for the Regime and the Future of Democracy

Russia’s “Internet Kill Switch” Export: How Moscow Helped Iran Crush Protests

Diaspora power and the 2025 Kosovo elections

Uganda’s January 15, 2026 Elections: Managed Continuity, High Repression Risk, and Uncertain Post-Vote Stability

Envelopes of Cash: Russian Espionage and Influence Operations in the European Parliament”

From Partner to Principal Threat: How Russia Chose Confrontation—and What It Could Have Been

Protecting the Kremlin While Ignoring the Children: Orbán’s Response to Hungary’s Deepening Trust Crisis in Hungary Crisis

Elections Without Choice: Power, Ethnicity, and Foreign Influence in Congo-Brazzaville

A Narco-State in Flux: Why the 2025 Guinea-Bissau Coup Creates Space for Russian Influence

The Red Cross Under Moscow’s Control: Risks for the Global Humanitarian System

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