In this week's must-read story, blogger Min Zin shares the story of his homecoming to Burma after sixteen years in exile.

Transparency International co-founder Laurence Cockroft makes the case for G20 action on global corruption.

Our guest blogger from Sudan, Maysoon Al Noujomi, reports on the release from prison of activist Jalila Khamis Koko. (Democracy Lab reported on her case last year.)

Democracy Lab editor Christian Caryl explains why the next stage of Syria's civil war promises to be the bloodiest yet -- and why it will be even harder to stop.

Amid the rumors swirling around the health of President Hugo Chávez, Daniel Lansberg-Rodriguez ponders the ideological legacy of El Comandante's fourteen-year rule (Peron or Guevara)? Meanwhile, Juan Nagel argues that Venezuela's oppositionists need to get their act together if they want to have a chance in an upcoming election.

Hemal Shah explains why India needs to reform its tax and labor law if it wants to become a modern economy

Albert Fishlow shows how Argentina's shifting economic policies from the left to the right have left the country failing to live up to its potential.

And now, for this week's recommended reads:

The Guardian's Martin Chulov offers this week's must-read reporting from the war in Syria, filing from the mountains above the Alawite stronghold of Latakia. Veteran journalist Nir Rosen talks about his eight months in Syria in a presentation at the London School of Economics. Aaron Zelin, writing for al-Wasat, provides a breakdown of the Islamist groups that are fighting on the side of the opposition in the Syrian civil war.

Writing from Caracas for The New Yorker, Jon Lee Anderson examines the state of Venezuela after fourteen years of rule by President Hugo Chávez.

The Cairo Review presents an impressive line-up of articles on recent events in Egypt (including contributions by Mohamed A. El-Erian, Rami G. Khouri, Steven Cook, and Jimmy Carter).

In a piece for the Huffington Post, Legatum Institute President Jeff Gedmin offers his assessment of two years of the Arab Spring.

The Council on Foreign Relations presents an update on the global economic system.

Democracy in Africa offers an interview with longtime Africa hand Caroline Kende-Robb, who looks back on key moments in the continent's life in 2012.

International IDEA's Daniel Zovatto argues that 2013 was a key year for Latin America.

Human Rights Watch reports on the harsh conviction of a Thai editor for insulting the monarchy.    

When I left Burma sixteen years ago, the last place where I stayed was the Rangoon home of my friend Thet Win Aung. We got up at three in the morning and said goodbye to his parents as monsoon rain poured down outside. Then we got in a car and headed for the Thai-Burmese border. Little did I know how much was to happen before I would be able to return to my homeland.

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Hugo Chávez's health status is unknown but all indications suggest that he is dying. If Chávez dies, Venezuela's opposition would face a presidential election -- the second in less than a year, this time against Chávez's vice president. Will they confront this new challenge united? Or will old divisions among the wildly diverse group surface once more?

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Editor's note: Democracy Lab reported last year on the case of Jalila Khamis Koko, the Sudanese oppositionist imprisoned by the government in Khartoum for her non-violent protest against the continuing war in South Kordofan. On Sunday, after ten months in jail, she was finally released. We asked Sudanese blogger Maysoon Al Noujomi to comment on the meaning of the verdict.

Jalila Khamis is free. Just how extraordinary and exhilarating that statement is only becomes clear when you consider its context. She has spent the past ten months in jail in Sudan, one of the world's most repressive countries. Given her own background, there seemed to be little prospect that she would ever see justice. First, she is a woman in a country that pays little regard to women's rights. Second, she is a schoolteacher, a profession that carries little social weight here. And third, she is a Nuban, a member of an ethnic minority that is concentrated in the province of South Kordofan. The Sudanese government has been waging all-out war against South Kordofan for years.

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Ashraf Ghani and Clare Lockhart lay down a road map for rebuilding the Syrian state once the war is over.

Christian Caryl argues that the outcry over Gérard Depardieu's embrace of a Russian passport shows that we still take citizenship seriously.

Juan Nagel predicts that the adherents of ailing President Hugo Chavez will do anything to win an upcoming election, even sabotage the economy.

Mohamed El Dahshan congratulates Tunisia on the second anniversary of the revolution.

Albert Fishlow explains how Argentina's bi-polar economic policies are dragging the country down.

And Endy Bayuni reports on how Twitter is being used to combat misogyny in Indonesia.

And now for this week's recommended reads:

Writing for Chatham House, Orysia Lutsevich presents a skeptical analysis of western democracy promotion efforts in Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova.

Les Roopanarine reports for The Guardian on how aid agencies are using innovative solutions to combat distribution problems.

The Carnegie Endowment offers two intriguing takes on the new French counterterrorism operation in Mali. The photo above shows Turkey's Saadet Party protesting French occupation.

POMED argues that protecting democracy is both right and smart.

Bassem Sabry reveals the ten things Libya should learn from Egypt's constitution.

International Crisis Group assesses the likelihood of recurring violence in Kenya's upcoming March elections.     

Radio Free Europe's Daud Khattak describes the odd contradictions of Pakistan's democracy defender du jour, Tahir ul-Qadri. 

Juan Garrigues reports for Open Democracy on the difficulties faced by Libya as it tries to disarm revolutionary militias.

INEGMA's Daniel Wagner and Giorgio Cafiero examine threats to Jordanian King Abdullah's rule.

Two years!

It's been two years since Ben Ali packed his suitcase along with the passwords to his foreign bank accounts and fled, in extremis, the wrath of the courageous people of Tunisia, leaving behind some incredibly tacky trinkets and a country in need of fundamental rebuilding -- but which first had to discover the full extent of the damage done.

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Judge Muhammad Daming Sunusi didn't see anything wrong when he said that rape victims and their perpetrators must have enjoyed their sexual intercourse. But then neither did the members of the Indonesian parliamentary commission who were conducting a confirmation hearing for his appointment to the Supreme Court. The judge made the remarks as he rejected proposals to introduce capital punishment for rapists.

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Rumors about President Hugo Chávez's health continue unabated. Most are bad for the president, who has not been seen or heard from in more than a month. If they are true, Venezuela is headed for a presidential election that will largely be affected by the peculiar ways of its economy.

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