Authoritarian populism ‘on the rise’
Populism is on the rise, according to the latest edition of the Authoritarian Populism Index. The index, an initiative of the Swedish think-tank Timbro, aims to determine to what extent… Read more »
Category: Journal of Democracy
The greatest threat to Western liberal democracies is……
Robert Kagan is “dead wrong” to contend that the greatest threat to Western liberal democracies is the ascendancy of authoritarianism, argues Harlan Ullman, a senior adviser at the Atlantic Council. The failure of… Read more »
Venezuela’s democratic transition must satisfy ‘fragmented military’
Any democratic transition in Venezuela will need to address the needs of the country’s unconventional military, argues Javier Corrales, a professor of political science at Amherst College and a contributor to… Read more »
Internet’s broken democratic promise: from liberation technology to digital unfreedom?
In the span of just two years, the widely shared utopian vision of the internet’s impact on governance has turned decidedly pessimistic, notes Stanford Law School analyst Nate Persily…. Read more »
Democracy is no longer the only path to prosperity?
Countries rated ‘not free’ are increasingly able to offer their citizens high incomes, Will democratic ideals lose their appeal? Roberto Stefan Foa and Yascha Mounk ask in the Wall Street… Read more »
The long freedom slump paused?
The good news is that democracy is not declining, at least in the aggregate. The bad news is that developing countries have taken a turn for the worse, notes Larry… Read more »
Russia ‘playing with West’s minds’: Putinism an ideological threat?
In a new book, Matteo Renzi, the former Italian prime minister, says he called President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia about false news reports attacking him on the international Russian… Read more »
Liberalism in retreat in world’s largest democracy?
India’s liberal democracy is now under assault, as evidenced by a pattern of assaults on minorities, press freedom, and the independence of key cultural and intellectual institutions, argues analyst Sumit Ganguly,. co-author of… Read more »
Why Democracy Is So Hard to Build
Today’s pessimism about democracy is both historically unwarranted and self-defeating; it undermines the optimism necessary to sustain the struggle ahead, argues Sheri Berman, a professor of political science at Barnard… Read more »
How China’s sharp power takes aim at democracy
As Chinese power grows, Stanford University’s Larry Diamond breaks down Beijing’s efforts to direct “sharp power” against democratic institutions, notes War On The Rocks. The key battleground appears to be… Read more »