Barack Obama is starting to tell a consistent story about human rights in Africa, and by implication elsewhere – helped by this week's Supreme Court decision on gay rights.
Category: Middle East
Election roundup time
An occasional feature in which we summarise the latest election news. This week: Albania, Mongolia, Kuwait, Mali and Zimbabwe.
Does anyone know what to do about Syria?
The G8 communiqué calls for peace talks, a political solution and a democratic Syria. Unfortunately it leaves us none the wiser about how to get there.
Turkish democracy survives the test, so far
The Turkish protest movement has failed to bring down the government, but it may have laid the groundwork for a more effective democratic opposition.
Iran’s moderate nails it
A moderate victory in Iran poses a test for theocrat Ali Khamenei.
A quick guide to Iranian election results
Moderate candidate Hassan Rouhani has a big early lead in Iran's presidential election. Here's how to follow along with the count.
Election preview: Iran
Iran's presidential election looks as if it might be more exciting than anyone expected, with a surge in support for the most moderate candidate and the chance of a runoff next week.
Iran lurches further down the theocratic road
A presidential election in Iran looks like falling well short of a democratic exercise, but public opposition to the regime is by no means extinct.
Turkey hesitates between east and west
The recent days of protest crystallise the debate over whether Turkey has successfully synthesised its European and Middle Eastern elements. Is it really a democracy, or is it a place where governments have to be overthrown by force?
The world digs deeper into Syria
Syria descends further down the spiral of intervention and escalation. But there's no going back to the era of Mid-East autocrats.
