Democracy

WATCH: Pahlavi announces six demands for int'l community, Iranian diaspora to support protesters

Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi outlined six key demands to rally global support for Iranian activists and protesters, urging a coordinated international effort to weaken the regime.

Anti-Iranian regime protesters in Paris, France, hold banners, including of Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi over a background with the Pahlavi royal crest, reading "FREE IRAN," January 18, 2026.
A PROTESTER holds a placard using the IDF acronym of Israel Defense Forces instead as ‘Infant Death Force’ in London last month. Today’s ideological manipulation echoes the rhetoric that paved the way for the Holocaust, the writer asserts.

Democracy’s blind spot: Extremism that no longer fears exposure - opinion

US President Donald Trump gestures as he addresses House Republicans at their annual issues conference retreat, at the Kennedy Center, renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center by the Trump-appointed board of directors, in Washington, DC, US, January 6, 2026.

Trump’s new world order is hitting the Middle East at full speed - opinion

Ilana Dayan addresses the Emergency Conference of Israeli Journalists in Tel Aviv on December 9, 2025.

Those who seek truth do not silence the press - opinion


Lack of voting opportunities, calls for reforms to strengthen Israel’s democracy - IDI report

The study notes that Israel stands apart from developed democracies by offering citizens only two direct voting opportunities.

 A man casts his vote in the Israeli general elections, at a polling station in Jerusalem, on November 1, 2022.

How to pave Iran's path to freedom - opinion

With careful planning, a transition commission has the potential to inspire confidence and contribute to a more democratic and prosperous Iran, benefitting the Middle East and the wider world.

A pro-democracy protest by Iranians in the United States

Israel's soldiers are selfless, civil, patriotic. Israel's politicians are the opposite - opinion

Is this the kind of politics we want? Are these the kind of leaders we deserve? What kind of moral maggots represent us?

 National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir attends a plenum session in the assembly hall of the Israeli parliament on November 13, 2024.

Knesset's streak of anti-democratic legislation goes against the public's will - opinion

Are Israelis interested in legislation that threatens to violate fundamental rights and undermine the functioning and independence of various institutions and organizations?

 NATIONAL SECURITY Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir walks behind Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Justice Minister Yariv Levin in the Knesset plenum last week. After a temporary pause at the start of the war, coalition members have recently returned to promoting laws that could harm Israel’s democracy,

How will opposition groups shape post-Islamic regime Iran? - opinion

A democratic Iran is not only the aspiration of its people but also a strategic necessity for the international community. 

 A WOMAN stands next to a poster of Persian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi and the pre-revolution flag of Iran bearing the lion and the sun, during a protest in Munich.

Individuals leaving Israel should not face criticism - opinion

One of the basic rights of the individual in a liberal democracy is the right to emigrate. Anyone who finds the situation unbearable has the right to leave without being branded a traitor.

 COMMUNICATIONS MINISTER Shlomo Karhi speaks during a meeting of the Knesset Economic Affairs Committee earlier this month. He argues that public broadcasting is an anomaly in the free market of democratic states, the writer notes.

Can secular Israel survive as the country marches into an extreme Messianic Age? - opinion

According to lawyer Yair Nehorai, Messianic Judaism is on the ascendancy and is in danger of taking over our police, army, and fragile democracy itself.

 Rabbi Yigal Levinstein delivers a lesson while activists protest against him outside an apartment building in Tel Aviv, on September 19, 2023.

'There won't be a state': Will internal strife lead another Jewish nation to ruin? - opinion

Both Solomon’s kingdom and the Hasmonean dynasty were beset by internal strife in their fourth quarters, allowing external enemies to destroy the Jewish state. That pattern is happening again.

 Balloons with images of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other members of the government are displayed as Israelis protest against the government and to show support for the hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, amid the war in Gaza, on Dec. 21, 2024.

Europe can succeed in an uncertain world, but it has to rethink the way it operates - opinion

To demonstrate leadership, Europe must form agile alliances among its states to promote research, innovation, and joint ventures.

 EUROPEAN COMMISSION President Ursula von der Leyen and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk speak as EU leaders gather for a group photo at a summit meeting in Brussels, last week.

Netanyahu’s trial is Israel's trial - opinion

Netanyahu's trial is a confrontation between entrenched elites clinging to their hegemony and emerging forces seeking rightful representation, one where the courtroom has become a battlefield.

PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu attends his trial on corruption charges at the Tel Aviv District Court last week. The courtroom has become a battlefield of competing visions for the nation’s future, the writer maintains.