Over the last two decades, countries like Turkey, Hungary, Venezuela and India gave the world a lesson on how democracy can erode into “competitive authoritarianism” — a system in which elections are still meaningful, but leaders manipulate the rules to their own benefit, while systematically violating civil liberties. Now, we are starting to find out…
In recent weeks, Elon Musk has finally seemed to make some inroads in India, a potentially huge market whose government has frustrated him with its trade barriers. Tesla appears to be preparing another attempt to sell cars in the country, and Starlink, his satellite internet provider, signed partnerships with two Indian companies. At the same…
One week after the Turkish government arrested the mayor of Istanbul, who is the top rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the political opposition on Wednesday pressed new tactics to fight what it called an assault on the country’s democracy. The arrest has set off nightly demonstrations that have drawn hundreds of thousands of antigovernment…
Palestinians in Gaza protested against the war for a second straight day on Wednesday and chanted slogans against Hamas, frustrated and angry over the collapse of a cease-fire with Israel that many had hoped would become permanent. The protests were rare shows of dissent against Hamas, the armed group that has ruled Gaza for 17…
The Trump administration intends to terminate the United States’ financial support for Gavi, the organization that has helped purchase critical vaccines for children in developing countries, saving millions of lives over the past quarter century, and to significantly scale back support for efforts to combat malaria, one of the biggest killers globally. The administration has…
Reports of past meddling by the Indian government roiled Canada’s general election on Tuesday, putting Pierre Poilievre, the Conservative Party leader and the main challenger to Prime Minister Mark Carney, on the defensive. Canadian intelligence officials said Indian agents and proxies raised money and organized support for Mr. Poilievre in the 2022 Conservative Party leadership…
A court in Tokyo on Tuesday ordered the Japanese branch of the Unification Church to disband, three years after it came under scrutiny following the assassination of the former prime minister, Shinzo Abe. The shooting of Mr. Abe by a man with a grudge against the church led to revelations that the fringe religious group…
Two days after a coalition of conservatives won Germany’s federal election last month, the governor of Bavaria took to Instagram to say the party was “ready for political change” and posted a group picture of the likely future chancellor, Friedrich Merz, with five other leaders. The photo seemed to suggest that a changed Germany will…
More than 15 months have passed since Ilana Gritzewsky was released from Hamas captivity in Gaza. She still does not feel free. Her partner remains a hostage. He was captured along with Ms. Gritzewsky from their home in an Israeli border village on Oct. 7, 2023, during the Hamas-led attack that ignited the war in…
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo of South Korea was restored to office as acting president on Monday, after the country’s Constitutional Court overturned his impeachment by the National Assembly. Mr. Han had served as South Korea’s acting president after the Assembly impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Dec. 14, suspending Mr. Yoon from office in connection…