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.'

4d 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?

July 13, 2022
July 13, 2022

Sri Lanka crisis: What role would the military play?

The protests are not only about the economic woes but also about the system of governance.

April 13, 2022
April 13, 2022

Imran Khan’s downfall and the judiciary’s role in it

A fortuitous combination of several factors in the past few months have brought down the Imran Khan government in Pakistan.

March 16, 2022
March 16, 2022

Dhaka’s abstention in Ukraine vote is an anomaly

Bangladesh’s abstention in the vote on the Ukraine crisis at the United Nations’ emergency special session on March 3, 2022 deserves much more scrutiny than it has received thus far.

February 19, 2022
February 19, 2022

What are the global challenges to democracy?

Globally, democracy is in crisis. An array of countries, from newly democratised nations to consolidated democracies, are experiencing severe backsliding.

February 16, 2022
February 16, 2022

Three legacies of the Election Commission

The 12th Election Commission (EC) of Bangladesh, headed by KM Nurul Huda, completed its tenure on February 14, 2022.

December 28, 2021
December 28, 2021

Five questions about the president’s dialogues

It seems like deja vu in Bangladeshi politics. As President Abdul Hamid is holding dialogues with various political parties to seek suggestions for members to form the search committee for the next Election Commission, it has brought back the memories of 2012 and 2017.

December 22, 2021
December 22, 2021

Sanctions against Rab and the shifts in US policies

Since the US Department of Treasury and the Department of State imposed sanctions on the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and seven of its current and former officials on December 10, the future of the Bangladesh-US relationship has become a topic of analysis and intense speculation in Bangladeshi media.

September 11, 2021
September 11, 2021

Commemorating the 20th anniversary of 9/11 attacks: A day of remembrance, a day of reckoning

This is not how the day marking the 20th anniversary of the al-Qaeda attacks on the United States was expected to be commemorated, but unfortunately, the day has turned out to be not only a day of remembrance, but also of reckoning.

September 6, 2021
September 6, 2021

Schools are finally reopening, but what’s next?

The government’s decision to open educational institutions is a welcome development. All educational institutions have remained closed since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the promise of online education has failed miserably to deliver.

August 18, 2021
August 18, 2021

Three concerns about Taliban 2.0

The Taliban has returned to power in Afghanistan. The spectacular fall of the US-backed government has caught everyone by surprise, although for years it was conventional wisdom that the war was lost in Afghanistan.

push notification