Mehdi Khalaji The factional disputes that have long paralyzed Iranian policymaking will likely persist after the upcoming election, leaving the regime with no choice but to persist in its diplomatic standoff with the West.

William Partlett  After his recent death, Hugo Chavez’s legacy is being widely debated. Those on the right see his death as a chance for Venezuelans to emerge from repressive dictatorship – for instance, Republican Senator Marco Rubio has argued that Chavez’s death is an opportunity to “turn the page on …

Not if Russian President Vladimir Putin can help it! Mark N. Katz  But can he help it?  Authoritarian rulers elsewhere have tried to prevent democratic revolution against them.  Some have done this successfully – often for a long period of time – but have eventually succumbed.  Other authoritarian regimes, by …