Ali Riaz

BLACK, WHITE & GREY

Ali Riaz is a distinguished professor of political science at Illinois State University (ISU), and a Nonresident Senior Fellow of the Atlantic Council. His recent publication is entitled “Voting in a Hybrid Regime: Explaining the 2018 Bangladeshi Election” (2019).

Bertelsmann Transformation Index 2024: Another indictment of Bangladesh’s state of governance

Bangladesh, since 2018, has been classified as a 'moderate autocracy.'

2w ago

The rise of personalistic autocracy: What should we do?

Since the middle of the 2000s, the world has witnessed a precipitous decline in democratic countries. After almost three decades of proliferation of democratic governance, described by Samuel Huntington as the Third Wave of democracy, the third reverse wave is sweeping the globe.

What democracy indices say about Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s declining score in the EIU Democracy Index should provide an opportunity to discuss not only how EIU has rated Bangladesh, but also how others have characterised the country’s state of democracy—or lack thereof.

The Great Game will continue

The absence of democratic behaviour is no longer hidden under the carpet.

What comes after January 7?

If AL’s victory in the 2014 election was a hollow one, the 2024 victory in the making is nothing short of a Pyrrhic one—a victory which inflicts so much damage that it cannot be considered worthwhile.

Elections without choice: A leaf out of autocrats’ playbook

As the country is heading towards an exercise that the incumbent is calling an election, it is imperative that we understand what is in the making.

EC’s act is ‘an improbable fiction’

The EC’s action has already contributed to the deterioration of the political situation, and it will continue to reverberate in the coming days.

Reading Donald Lu’s letter, intently

Is there a connection between India’s clarification of its policy and Lu’s letter?

March 24, 2024
March 24, 2024

Bertelsmann Transformation Index 2024: Another indictment of Bangladesh’s state of governance

Bangladesh, since 2018, has been classified as a 'moderate autocracy.'

February 28, 2024
February 28, 2024

The rise of personalistic autocracy: What should we do?

Since the middle of the 2000s, the world has witnessed a precipitous decline in democratic countries. After almost three decades of proliferation of democratic governance, described by Samuel Huntington as the Third Wave of democracy, the third reverse wave is sweeping the globe.

February 23, 2024
February 23, 2024

What democracy indices say about Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s declining score in the EIU Democracy Index should provide an opportunity to discuss not only how EIU has rated Bangladesh, but also how others have characterised the country’s state of democracy—or lack thereof.

January 9, 2024
January 9, 2024

The Great Game will continue

The absence of democratic behaviour is no longer hidden under the carpet.

January 4, 2024
January 4, 2024

What comes after January 7?

If AL’s victory in the 2014 election was a hollow one, the 2024 victory in the making is nothing short of a Pyrrhic one—a victory which inflicts so much damage that it cannot be considered worthwhile.

December 11, 2023
December 11, 2023

Elections without choice: A leaf out of autocrats’ playbook

As the country is heading towards an exercise that the incumbent is calling an election, it is imperative that we understand what is in the making.

November 18, 2023
November 18, 2023

EC’s act is ‘an improbable fiction’

The EC’s action has already contributed to the deterioration of the political situation, and it will continue to reverberate in the coming days.

November 15, 2023
November 15, 2023

Reading Donald Lu’s letter, intently

Is there a connection between India’s clarification of its policy and Lu’s letter?

October 27, 2023
October 27, 2023

What should and shouldn’t happen in Oct 28 rallies

It cannot be ignored that the nation came to this day because a path to hold a fair election is absent, and that the current system of governance has undermined the citizens’ right to exercise their inalienable right to vote.

October 15, 2023
October 15, 2023

How to judge the Election Commission’s performance

The question of whether the current EC can deliver a free and fair election should be explored based on two sets of criteria

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