Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law is housed in the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
Human Rights
Recent Events
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Frontline Battles for Civil Rights and LGBT+ Equality: Breaking Myths
January 8, 2019
Recent decades of rapid social transformations across the globe provoked tectonic shifts: minorities are more visible than ever, equality movements spread across many borders and historic...
Sentiment, Reason, and Law: Policing in the Republic of China on Taiwan
April 30, 2018
The Republic of China on Taiwan spent nearly four decades as a single-party state under dictatorial rule (1949-1987) before transitioning to liberal democracy.
Arab Barometer Wave IV
March 26, 2018
This event is co-sponsored with The Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies. ABSTRACTThe Arab Barometer is the first and largest project of its kind that gives voice to the opinions and concerns of...
Political Contestation and New Social Forces in the Middle East and North Africa
March 9, 2018
Please note: Registration for the conference is open only to Stanford University affiliates. A valid SUNet ID is required to register. Click here to register.
Tunisia: An Arab Anomaly
February 12, 2018
This event is co-sponsored with The Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies. ABSTRACTThe Arab Spring began and ended with Tunisia.
We Crossed A Bridge and It Trembled: Voices from Syria
January 9, 2018
This event is co-sponsored with The Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies. ABSTRACTHow can we make sense of the tragedy in Syria?
Saudi Arabia: Can Economic Reform Succeed without Political Change?
November 15, 2017
ABSTRACTThe formation of Saudi Arabia’s anti-corruption commission and the arrest of dozens of princes and former ranking officials have brought to focus the prospects for political and economic...
Freedom House, Freedom on the Net 2017 Report Launch
October 24, 2017
Please join Freedom House and Stanford's Global Digital Policy Incubator (GDPI) for the West Coast launch of the latest edition of Freedom on the Net, Freedom House's annual study of Internet...
Labor Activism under Egypt’s New Authoritarianism
October 4, 2017
ABSTRACTDespite security surveillance, forced dismissals of labor activists, and referrals of labor activists and protesters to military trials, labor activism remains at the forefront of societal...
Taiwan's White Terror from the Vantage of Fiction: A Reading and Discussion
May 1, 2017
Green Island: A NovelA stunning story of love, betrayal, and family set against the backdrop of a changing Taiwan over the course of the 20th century. February 28, 1947: Trapped inside the family...
Preventing ISIS 3.0: Winning the Peace in Iraq
March 20, 2017
ABSTRACTThe Iraqi government, the Peshmerga, the international coalition and a consortium of militia have been winning the war against ISIS in Iraq. The concern moving forward is whether Iraq’s...
War Is Coming: Between Past and Future Violence in Lebanon
March 16, 2017
ABSTRACTFrom 1975 to 1990, Lebanon experienced a long war involving various national and international actors.
Legalizing Authoritarianism in Egypt
January 25, 2017
ABSTRACTThis talk examines the ways through which successive Egyptian governments have utilized lawmaking to eliminate opponents and silence voices of dissent since the coup of 3 July 2013.
Tickling Giants: Film Screening and A Conversation with Bassem Youssef
November 3, 2016
This film screening is hosted by the Arab Reform and Democracy Program at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law. This is a ticketed event, only guests with tickets will be...
Revolution for Dummies: The Arab Spring and Political Satire
October 6, 2016
This event is hosted by the Program on Arab Reform and Democracy at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law.
Competing Narratives on Syria amid International Escalation
October 4, 2016
ABSTRACTBy now, those following the news on Syria have been saturated with analysis, data, information, and misinformation on developments there since 2011.
The Russian Intervention in Syria and its Implication on the Syrian Crisis
April 27, 2016
AbstractAfter five years of political support for the regime of Bashar Al-Asad in its war against the opposition, Russia intervened militarily on his behalf in September 2015 and suddenly later...
Oil and Urban Life in Kuwait
April 20, 2016
AbstractIn this talk Farah Al-Nakib will discuss her recently released book Kuwait Transformed: A History of Oil and Urban Life (Stanford University Press, 2016), in which she traces the...
The Anatomy of Authoritarianism in the Arab World
April 13, 2016
AbstractIn this talk Joseph Sassoon discusses his recently released book Anatomy of Authoritarianism in the Arab Republics (Cambridge University Press, 2016).
A New Era in the Hong Kong Democracy Movement: Front Line Perspectives from Two Student Leaders
April 11, 2016
AbstractTwo student leaders and activists will discuss the new era of Hong Kong's democracy movement with prospects for the future of Hong Kong after 2047. Speaker Bios Joshua Chi-fung Wong (left),...
The War against Civil Society in Egypt: Causes and Implications
April 5, 2016
AbstractIn this talk Nancy Okail will reflect on the renewed crackdown on civil society in Egypt, the closing of public space, and the continued regression in rights and freedoms.
From Wild Lily to Sunflower: New Politics in Taiwan
March 25, 2016
Abstract:The Wild Lily movement was a student demonstration in 1990 calling for democracy through direct election.
Tunisia’s Pathway to Democracy
March 2, 2016
AbstractAfter having witnessed the beginning of the Arab Spring in December 2010, and the ouster of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011, Tunisia went through a period of...
Countering Violent Extremism
February 26, 2016
AbstractUnder Secretary Sewall will deliver remarks on Countering Violent Extremism, the U.S.
People
Ertharin Cousin Payne Distinguished Lecturer at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies Distinguished Fellow at the Center on Food Security and the Environment, Distinguished Fellow at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law 
