BTI Blog | Transformationsindex BTI 2016

President Shavkat Mirziyoev. Photo by kremlin.ru via commons.wikimedia.org, CC BY 4.0

Uzbekistan’s Vote: Reforms Underway, but Democracy Still out of Reach

August 8, 2019 / Justine Doody

Uzbekistan has remained a one-party state even though parliamentary elections are slated for late 2019 or early 2020. But will President Shavkat Mirziyoyev extend his series of tentative reforms? When Uzbekistan’s strongman Islam Karimov died in 2016, few believed that good things were in store for the country he had headed since the fall of […]

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Protests against Bouteflika in Béjaïa, Algeria. Photo by Akechii via commons.wikimedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Algerian Politics: The Closing Window for Change

July 24, 2019 / Dalia Ghanem

For more than four months protesters in Algeria have been urging a clean-up of the country’s politics and a new constitution. But how realistic is change given the military’s iron grip on power? Algeria, where power has long been firmly consolidated in a deep state, has seen mass peaceful protests since February 22. What started […]

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The town hall in Svidník. Photo by Peter Zelizňák via commons.wikimedia.com, CC0 (public domain)

European Parliament Elections: Land of the Non-Voters

May 24, 2019 / Dariusz Kalan

Is there any hope that the forthcoming European elections will bring positive change for Slovakians? In fact, there is. This year marks the 15th anniversary of Slovakia’s EU accession. But in Svidník in northeastern Slovakia only a few people bother. Svidník is the main city of one of the poorest and least developed regions in […]

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US helicopter over Baghdad. Photo by The U.S. Army via commons.wikimedia.org, CC0

Stakes in Iraq: U.S. and Iran vie for power

May 13, 2019 / Alex Vatanka

The United States’ tough stance on Iran has left many nations in a fix. Iraq is among those most afflicted by the battle for influence – and it remains to be seen whether Iran or the U.S. will prevail. When it comes to American foreign policy, few publications are as gung-ho as the Wall Street […]

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Houcine Abassi, Secretary General of the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT). Photo: Elma Okic via flickr.com, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Three Lessons Tunisia Can Teach Brexit Britain About Building Consensus

April 17, 2019 / Fabian Stroetges

Tunisia’s example offers three important lessons on how to solve divisive political issues like Brexit: consensus should incorporate societal interests beyond government; pressure is helpful, not harmful; and it takes prestigious personalities to mediate a solution. As deadline follows deadline over Brexit, the issue polarizes British society like few issues have for decades. The House […]

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Egypt’s President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi in Washington, D.C. Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. Amber I. Smith via flickr.com, CC BY 2.0

Constitutional Reform in Egypt: More Time for al-Sisi, More Power for the Military

April 12, 2019 / Christian Achrainer

Next week, the Egyptian constitution will most likely be modified. The planned changes would allow President Abdelfattah al-Sisi to remain in office until 2034. In addition, the military is to be placed de facto above the constitution and the independence of the judiciary is to be curtailed. In farcical elections in March 2018, the former […]

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Somali Refugee Camp West of Massawa. Photo by Reinhard Dietrich via commons.wikimedia.org, CC0 1.0

Eritrea Chairs Dialogue on Migration: A Strange Partner

April 8, 2019 / Martin Plaut

In early March 2019, the Eritrean government has taken over the chair of the ‘Khartoum process’, in which Europe and states from the Horn of Africa discuss the critical question of migration – a strange partner. The “Khartoum process”, after the Sudanese capital in which the relationship was struck, is both influential and poorly understood […]

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Soldiers forming up. Photo by Menglong Bao on Unsplash.com

Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit: India-Pakistan Tensions Test the SCO’s Mettle

March 28, 2019 / Eva Seiwert

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will hold its 19th Heads of State Summit in June. But can it calm tensions between its newest member states India and Pakistan? Two years after its expansion to include India and Pakistan, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) faces a big challenge at its 19th Summit of Heads of State […]

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Presidential candidate and comedian Vladimir Zelensky. Photo by Ярослав Бурдовицин via commons.wikimedia.org, CC BY-SA 4.0

Ukraine before the Elections: A Country Struggling to Reform Itself

March 11, 2019 / Iryna Solonenko

With a record of forty-two candidates running for the top job, it remains to be seen who will become Ukraine’s next president. But will Ukrainian actors and their international partners be able to keep the country on the road to reform following the ballot? As Ukraine’s presidential election on March 31 nears, questions swirl about […]

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Argentine peso and US dollar bills. Photo by Henrik Dolle, stock.adobe.com

Argentina: Election Year to the Rhythm of the International Monetary Fund

March 1, 2019 / Pablo Nemiña

2019 could prove a fateful year for Argentina. To receive further financial aid from the International Monetary Fund, the government has to enforce drastic and unpopular measures ahead of the October elections. President Mauricio Macri is walking on very thin ice. Recently the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved the second review of Argentina’s 3-year Stand […]

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Uzbekistan’s Vote: Reforms Underway, but Democracy Still out of Reach

Algerian Politics: The Closing Window for Change

European Parliament Elections: Land of the Non-Voters

Stakes in Iraq: U.S. and Iran vie for power

Three Lessons Tunisia Can Teach Brexit Britain About Building Consensus

Constitutional Reform in Egypt: More Time for al-Sisi, More Power for the Military

Eritrea Chairs Dialogue on Migration: A Strange Partner

Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit: India-Pakistan Tensions Test the SCO’s Mettle

Ukraine before the Elections: A Country Struggling to Reform Itself

Argentina: Election Year to the Rhythm of the International Monetary Fund

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