Today's elections in Tanzania will most assuredly not be free nor fair while #TunduLissu faces trial for treason and other major opposition leaders have been blocked from running. My latest for the George W. Bush Presidential Center: www.bushcenter.org/publications...

The Taliban's ongoing attempts to restrict internet access in Afghanistan may no longer be in the headlines, but the world cannot afford to overlook that the Taliban appear to be following their 1990s blueprint. My latest w/ Natalie Gonnella-Platts @thediplomat.com thediplomat.com/2025/10/rest...

This Thur. 10/23 I'm looking forward to speaking on the panel "Recovering Soft Power in Hard (Power) Times" as part of @depauluniversity.bsky.social Grace School of Applied Diplomacy online conference alongside @scwinkler.bsky.social and Nicholas J. Cull. RSVP: depaul.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Last week, Belarusian blogger Ihar Losik @rferl.org.web.brid.gy was freed after 5 years of unjust detention. There are still 10 USAGM journalists held by authoritarian regimes in Azerbaijan, Burma, Iran, Russia and Vietnam #StruggleforFreedom www.bushcenter.org/publications...

Today marks four years of arbitrary detention for Javier Tarazona after denouncing human rights abuses in Venezuela's border states where organized crime and irregular armed groups are active. Read his story in our #StruggleforFreedom series #LiberenaJavierTarazona www.bushcenter.org/publications...

We must remain clear-eyed about the global security risks posed by the reality on the ground in Afghanistan, where ordinary Afghans are daily subjected to tyranny of the Taliban's corruption, extremism & misogyny. My latest w/ colleague Natalie Gonnella-Platts nationalinterest.org/feature/dist...

As long as Afghanistan remains under Taliban control, it will never be a safe place. Most especially for Afghan women, but also for Afghans who believed in a different future for their country and worked alongside the US and NATO allies. www.bushcenter.org/publications...

If Congress and the administration are serious about holding Cuba's dictatorship to account for regional instability, State Dept. funds for Cuban civil society and freedom advocates should be restored, esp. as Havana rearrests #FelixNavarro and #JoseDanielFerrer www.miamiherald.com/opinion/op-e...

Russia's claim to be defending religious freedom in Ukraine couldn't be further from the truth. Ukrainian pastors and faith leaders in occupied territories have been systematically targeted by Russian soldiers. Read on about one pastor's Struggle for Freedom: www.bushcenter.org/publications...

The Taliban continue to provide safe haven to terrorists, steal from the Afghan people, and impose severe restrictions on women and girls in defiance of international commitments. We should hold the Taliban accountable, not engage them, writes my colleague. thediplomat.com/2025/04/amer...

For decades, VOA, RFE/RL, RFA, and the other US-funded international media have been a light in some of the world's darkest places. My colleagues recount how US-supported int'l media inspired hope, fueled freedom, and cultivated allies in societies under repression www.bushcenter.org/publications...

Hong Kong's authorities are dragging out legal proceedings against businessman and freedom advocate Jimmy Lai to send a message on behalf of Beijing that democratic activism in Hong Kong will not be tolerated. #FreeJimmyLai #StruggleforFreedom update www.bushcenter.org/publications...

"It’s no coincidence that the world’s most volatile global hot spots are nondemocratic." The National Endowment for Democracy invests in those around the world who fight for the same innate desire for freedom that Americans cherish and our adversaries fear. www.nationalreview.com/2025/02/amer...

🚨 A dire situation for 5 members of Venezuela's democratic opposition staff who have sought refuge in #Argentina's embassy in Caracas (protected by #Brazil) and are under siege by the Maduro regime. Three days without power and supply deliveries severely restricted. www.forum2000.cz/en/news/arge...

Key facts: "This is not a war that Ukraine sought but is the result of having been invaded by Russia...the dictator in this war is Putin, who has been in power 2.5 decades, not Zelensky, who was democratically elected president of his country in 2019." foreignpolicy.com/2025/02/19/t...

Yesterday, Feb. 9 marked one year since Rocio San Miguel, a lawyer and expert on Venezuela's military and security services, was arbitrarily arrested by the Maduro regime. She is still being held in inhumane conditions in El Helicoide. #StruggleforFreedom www.bushcenter.org/publications...

Taliban leadership are traveling much wider and farther beyond Afghanistan than you might think. My colleagues and I have been tracking the data in our new Taliban Travel Tracker by the George W. Bush Institute to shed light on who is traveling where www.bushcenter.org/publications...

The US should lead on strengthening democracy and the rule of law in the Western Hemisphere because we can't secure our borders without combating corruption, authoritarianism, and organized crime in the region. My latest, with Bush Institute colleague Laura Collins www.bushcenter.org/publications...

Egyptian human rights defender Marwa Arafa has spent 4+ years in pretrial detention for aiding political prisoners & their families. In prison, Arafa faces the same suffering she worked to alleviate, @ellenbork.bsky.social for the Bush Institute #StruggleforFreedom www.bushcenter.org/publications...

While Mexico's so-called judicial reform has received much attention, a recent vote by its Senate to shut down INAI and several other independent regulatory bodies poses yet another challenge to the integrity and transparency of Mexico's democracy www.bushcenter.org/publications...

Autocratic regimes target women because they are community change agents. But Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi remains firm in her struggle for #WomenLifeFreedom in Iran despite soon facing a return to prison following a 21 day medical furlough: www.bushcenter.org/publications...

"Ukraine is the place where the battle between democracy and authoritarianism is unfolding, and how we respond will have implications for Taiwan and other hotspots around the world," write my colleagues David Kramer and Igor Khrestin with US policy recs on Ukraine www.bushcenter.org/publications...

Support for democracy and human rights around the world is a strategic priority, inextricably linked to the pursuit of America’s national interests writes Ellen Bork for the George W. Bush Institute www.bushcenter.org/publications...