One after another, societies caught under autocratic or corrupt governments keep seeking road maps back to clean, stable democracy. Now it is Venezuela’s turn. On Sunday, its people have a possible opportunity to decide who they want to challenge President Nicolás Maduro in elections next year. The weekend ballot is only a primary, but it could be transformative. That is because it is citizen-run. A group of civil society groups has set up voting stations while educating and mobilizing voters to...

Democracy & Governance;  Justice, Security & Rule of Law

On Oct. 9, a devastating late-night airstrike by the Myanmar military on Laiza, a Kachin town bordering China under the administration of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), tore through a camp for internally displaced people, killing numerous civilians including 12 children. This appalling incident adds to the litany of heinous crimes the Myanmar military has committed against...

Violent Extremism;  Human Rights

Ukrainian authorities said a Russian missile killed two civilians in the southern part of the country Wednesday. The attack came on the same day Russia's foreign minister met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang. William Taylor, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, joins CBS News to discuss the emerging alliance between the...

Fragility & Resilience

When the 5,100-ton Dayang Hao, one of China’s most advanced deep-water expedition vessels, left port south of Shanghai two months ago, a red-and-white banner — the kind used to blast Communist Party exhortations — reminded the crew of their mission: “Strive, explore, contribute.” The Dayang Hao was bound for a 28,500-square-mile stretch of the Pacific Ocean between Japan and Hawaii where China has...

Global Policy

In his first trip outside the former Soviet Union since the start of the Ukraine war, Russian President Vladimir Putin chose to visit the Chinese capital for a two-day forum this week marking a decade of China's Belt and Road initiative (BRI). The move signaled how Moscow has increasingly turned to Beijing for trade and political support as it seeks to...

Fragility & Resilience

Fragility & Resilience

As many high-level military officials from China’s People’s Liberation Army have disappeared over the last two months, experts are in agreement that something disturbing is happening inside the world’s fastest growing military — even if what exactly is driving it all is unclear. “Though China hasn’t confirmed it, I think the general consensus at the moment among China watchers is that a purge is...

Fragility & Resilience

Hopes that an election in Venezuela next year might resolve the country’s political divisions and revive a moribund economy have reemerged as the Biden administration and Nicolás Maduro’s regime are reportedly near an agreement to lift some U.S. sanctions in return for steps to hold a fair contest in 2024. Still, considering recent history, skepticism abounds among the international community that the authoritarian government would allow an opposition candidate to win the election and...

Fragility & Resilience;  Democracy & Governance