The Foreign Service Journal, May 2018

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2018 5 May 2018 Volume 95, No. 4 FOREIGN SERVICE Focus on Democracy 26 The State of Democracy in Europe and Eurasia: Four Challenges In a decade of backsliding on democracy around the world, the countries of Europe and Eurasia feature prominently. By Da v i d J . K r ame r 30 Worrisome Trends in Latin America Widespread corruption, crime and a lack of security, education, employment and basic services are driving a loss of faith in democracy throughout the continent. By A l ex i Pa n e h a l 35 USAID Election Assistance: Lessons from the Field Since the 1990s electoral assistance has come into its own as a branch of foreign aid and as an academic discipline. By As s i a I v a n t c h ev a 40 Saudi Arabia: Liberalization, Not Democratization The plan for sweeping changes to meet economic and demographic challenges does not appear to include an opening-up of the political system. By J e r r y Fe i e r s t e i n 35 45 Supporting Civil Society in the Face of Closing Space Development professionals focus on the need to bolster and expand civil society’s “open space” in countries around the world. By Ma r i am A f r a s i a b i a n d Ma rd y Sh u a l y 51 Authoritarianism Gains in Southeast Asia A new breed of autocrat seems to be taking root in Southeast Asia today. Is the “domino theory” finally playing out? By Be n Ba r b e r 55 Democracy in Indonesia: A Progress Report On the 20th anniversary of its democratic experiment, Indonesia can cite significant gains. Growing challenges may threaten that progress. By Edmu n d McWi l l i ams Cover Story 19 Straight Talk on Diplomatic Capacity Lessons learned from the Tillerson tenure can help the new Secretary of State enhance the State Department’s core diplomatic and national security mission. By A l ex Ka r a g i a n n i s