Legitimacy and Legitimation Strategies in Authoritarian Regimes

Africa enters 2026 at a crossroads: entrenched autocrats clash with Gen Z protests, debt crises threaten major economies, Western retreat meets Chinese and Russian expansion. Yet African states will seek to leverage critical minerals and strategic partnerships to assert agency amid global rivalries.

In November 2024, Israel’s Knesset advanced the controversial Spyware Law, expanding therewith the police’s surveillance powers. Critics argue it threatens democracy, undermines civil liberties, and lacks proper oversight, sparking fierce debate over its implications for freedom and security.

In Brazil’s mid-term elections on 6 October, all eyes will be on São Paulo, where polls show a three-way tie between the right’s “old guard” candidate, a young, extremist YouTuber, and the left-wing nominee, backed by President Lula. The result will be a harbinger for politics in post-Lula Brazil.

Religion is crucial to understanding the violent clashes occurring between nomadic pastoralists and sedentary farmers over land and water in Nigeria. Neglecting this dimension prevents a holistic understanding of the crisis taking hold, hindering the development of effective and lasting solutions.

Africa enters 2026 at a crossroads: entrenched autocrats clash with Gen Z protests, debt crises threaten major economies, Western retreat meets Chinese and Russian expansion. Yet African states will seek to leverage critical minerals and strategic partnerships to assert agency amid global rivalries.

In November 2024, Israel’s Knesset advanced the controversial Spyware Law, expanding therewith the police’s surveillance powers. Critics argue it threatens democracy, undermines civil liberties, and lacks proper oversight, sparking fierce debate over its implications for freedom and security.

In Brazil’s mid-term elections on 6 October, all eyes will be on São Paulo, where polls show a three-way tie between the right’s “old guard” candidate, a young, extremist YouTuber, and the left-wing nominee, backed by President Lula. The result will be a harbinger for politics in post-Lula Brazil.