Freedom House

Freedom House is an international non-governmental organization (NGO ), headquartered in Washington, DC, whose goal is to promote liberal democracies around the world. She is known mainly by their published annual reports Freedom in the World and Freedom of the Press.

The published since 1973 Freedom in the World is one of the oldest indexes, examine the freedom and democracy. These reports find extensive attention in the media, academia and politics.

Freedom House is one of the institutions of the U.S. government to its largest donors. Among the three largest donors in 2010 was one of democracy promotion fund of the United Nations ( UNDEF ). There are also funds other governments and various semi-public and private foundations, such as the Open Society Foundations by George Soros. Because of this financing structure, the organization is often confronted with the accusation of political partisanship.

History

The organization was founded in 1941 by Wendell Willkie, Eleanor Roosevelt, George Field, Dorothy Thompson, Rex Stout, Herbert Bayard Swope and others in New York City in response to the totalitarianism of National Socialism. Contrary to the prevailing isolationist foreign policy, Freedom House began in this phase for an intervention of the U.S. in the Second World War on the side of England one. During the 1940s, Freedom House supported the Marshall Plan and the creation of NATO. Although even strongly anti- communist, Freedom House was an outspoken opponent of McCarthyism. During the 1950s and 1960s, it supported the civil rights movement in the U.S.. As a result of the global disintegration of civil liberties by real socialist systems, dictatorial regimes and ruling military juntas in Asia, Africa and Latin America developed Freedom House criteria for the assessment of human rights and civil liberties. It was engaged in the defense of several dissidents in the Soviet Union, including Andrei Sakharov from. In the 1980s, it supported the Solidarity movement in Poland and the democratic opposition in the Philippines. Recently, Freedom House supported citizens who were involved in the roll-over in Serbia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan.

Reports

"Freedom in the World"

  • Free
  • Partially free
  • Not free
  • Free
  • Partially free
  • Not free
  • Highlighted countries are referred to as " electoral democracies " classified - Report 2010

Freedom House since 1973, produces an annual report, "Freedom in the World", in which they rated the degree of democracy and freedom in nations and significant disputed territories around the world. The political rights and civil liberties are thereby given on a scale of 1 ( most free ) to 7 (least free).

By 2003, states were considered, where the average for political and civil liberties was between 1.0 and 2.5, as "free". States with values ​​from 3.0 to 5.5 were considered to be "partly free " and those with values ​​Between 5,5 and 7,0 as " not free". Since 2003, the range will be "partly free " from 3.0 to 5.0, " free" from 5.5 to 7.0.

"Press Freedom Survey"

  • Not tested
  • Not free
  • Partially free
  • Free

Freedom House also produces an annual report on freedom of the press ( Press Freedom Survey), governance in the countries of the former Soviet Union ( Nations in Transit ) and states at the interface of democracy ( Countries at the Crossroads ).

Dupont Circle Freedom of the Press (report)
350622
de