Category: Democratic Backsliding

Is populism the biggest menace to democracy?

     

Even those who recognize the sheer diversity of the threats facing democracy struggle to prioritize them, notes Dominique Moisi, Senior Counselor at the Institut Montaigne in Paris. “If, say, Islamist… Read more »

How democratic backsliding happens

     

Surveying democratic around the world, the clear lesson is: Not every wolf threatening democracy howls and bares its teeth. Many threats are stealthy, according to Aziz Huq and Tom Ginsburg,… Read more »

Strategic priorities for advancing democracy

     

Democracy today is being challenged as never before since the end of the Cold War, says Carl Gershman, President of the National Endowment for Democracy. The crisis has many dimensions,… Read more »

How constitutional democracy decays

     

There are two paths of democratic decay – authoritarian reversion and constitutional retrogression, according to the University of Chicago’s Aziz Huq and Tom Ginsburg: A reversion is a rapid and… Read more »

West’s political and normative project ‘under fire’

     

Germany’s outgoing President Joachim Gauck on Wednesday used his final major address to emphasize the importance of a resilient democracy and robust security policy, DW reports. He called today’s Germany “the best… Read more »

How the forward march of democracy was halted

     

Twenty-five years after the end of the Cold War, and of the apparent triumph of American values and power, U.S. policymakers now confront the very basic question of which values… Read more »

Inequality threatens world economy, democracy, says WEF

     

The widening gap between the rich and poor has emerged as one of the biggest threats to the global economy, said the World Economic Forum in a report published on… Read more »

‘New generation’ of populist demagogues threaten human rights

     

  The rise of populist leaders poses a dangerous threat to basic rights protections while encouraging abuse by autocrats around the world, Human Rights Watch said today in launching its… Read more »

Signs of deconsolidation? Democracy being tested, Obama warns

     

  President Barack Obama has called on Americans to defend democracy in his farewell speech in Chicago, warning “democracy is threatened whenever we take it for granted.” “Democracy can buckle… Read more »

Democratic deconsolidation: globalization to blame?

     

The process of deconsolidation now taking place across most liberal democracies is a very serious warning sign, analysts Roberto Foa and Yascha Mounk write for the National Endowment for Democracy’s… Read more »