Commentary & Analysis

Russia’s latest anti-LGBTQ+ ruling is a stark warning to all those witnessing attacks on marginalized groups in their own countries. The escalation from homophobic and transphobic rhetoric to the use of an extremism law illustrates that anti-LGBTQ+ policies are simply a political tool. Targeting the queer community, or any marginalized group, is an easy move from the authoritarian playbook to suppress dissent and consolidate power.

One can reliably gauge the latest geopolitical upheaval by who is sleeping on the red pullout couch in my New York apartment.

I barely had a chance to grieve the gut-wrenching news of Hamas’ pogrom on October 7, 2023, before the familiar drums of war were beating. On October 11, the Israeli Defense Force tweeted, “You either stand with Israel or you stand with terrorism.” It echoed George W. Bush’s nearly identical phrasing just weeks after the 9/11 attacks.

I felt transported back to September 11, 2001, in New York City: first was the shock and pain of loss, and then the immediate anger and disbelief as collective grief was used to justify not only wars abroad but also domestic crackdowns on civil liberties in the US. This ambiguous “war on terror” included increased surveillance codified into law by the Patriot Act; the overpolicing of Muslim communities; and the horrific kidnapping, detention, and torture of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and other secret facilities globally. Over 20 years later, many of these wrongs have not been righted and have become an accepted part of the American political landscape.

The 2023 Keseb Global Democracy Champions Summit (October 24-26, 2023) focused on "Preparing for the 2024 Mega Election Year." In 2024, half of the world’s populations will participate in elections. Watch Tatyana Margolin's analysis in the Summit highlights reel.

The Kettering Foundation's first Emerging Issues Conference took place on September 19, 2023, exploring "the dimensions of authoritarian moves taking place both globally and in the United States, responses and the tensions between potential solutions, and potential ways forward." Watch Yelena Litvinov in the "Countering Authoritarianism x Fostering Citizen Engagement" panel.

STROIKA led a panel on "The Authoritarian Playbook: Parallels & Lessons from Russia’s March to Authoritarianism" at the 22nd Century Initiative's conference in Minneapolis, MN. The Forging a People-Powered Democracy Conference convened pro-democracy movements and community leaders to develop strategies for blocking the rise of the authoritarian right.

A dissident lawmaker is expelled by the legislature’s majority for supporting a popular protest movement. The lawmaker argues that the move was politically motivated following his participation in a protest. Outside experts call the expulsion a dangerous sign of increasing authoritarianism.

February 24th, 2022, will forever be remembered as the day Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. One day later, by sheer coincidence, STROIKA’s formal registration was finalized. We came into existence on the eve of enormous destruction. As an organization whose mission is to build (‘stroika’ means ‘construction site’ in Russian), we realized that we were made for this moment.

Vladimir Putin is currently fighting on two fronts: his brutal military assault on Ukraine is accompanied by relentless repression against any hint of opposition inside Russia itself.

Even though this year’s Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to two investigative journalists working in two different authoritarian contexts, autocrats are becoming bolder and more brash in their crackdown on independent media.