Election observers are the first line of defense for democratic rights and freedoms, and they work in some of the most challenging places. They deserve the same protections as human-rights defenders.

"Israel is not on a path toward becoming a Western European liberal democracy. It is becoming, for better or worse, a Middle Eastern democracy: a hybrid blending tradition and innovation, Eastern culture and Western norms, religious identity and democratic governance."

The future of nonviolent resistance may depend on movements’ ability to move beyond mass protests toward exploring alternative tactics and developing smarter, longer-term strategies.

Delivery matters, but so do leaders’ actions. Why have so many, in both strong and weak economies, been pushing against democratic constraints on their power, and why have those constraints failed to contain them?

How AI Threatens Democracy

Brazil did something that few democracies achieve: It convicted a former president of attempting a coup. How did the country’s courts hold would-be autocrat Jair Bolsonaro accountable when so many other coup plotters go unpunished?

The staggering global popularity of soccer makes it a prime target for regimes that worry about the negative press they get for their undemocratic practices. The Gulf monarchies have led the way in getting into the wide world of sports as a means of cleaning their image. muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

Authoritarians are developing new tools to project their malign influence across the globe. The world of sports can teach us a lot about the games they play.

Is there a recipe for defeating a populist? A novel campaign strategy based on inclusion and public responsiveness provides an alternative roadmap for success in competitive authoritarian regimes.

Through greater savvy engagement with international law, authoritarians are seeking not only to shield themselves from criticism, but to reshape global norms in their favor.

While analysts of populism have focused on economic woes and “cultural backlash,” a thirst for the restoration of order may better explain the appeal of authoritarian populists in fragile democracies where governance is falling short.

What is Putin really afraid of?

"The government’s ability and willingness to manipulate outcomes have only increased, even as its territorial control has weakened."

Since winning Turkey’s 2023 national election, President Erdoğan and the ruling AK Party have seen their popularity plummet. In response, they’ve ramped up their repression of the main opposition party.

After Mao, Deng Xiaoping tried to institutionalize collective leadership, but this did not stop Xi Jinping from grasping all the levers of power.

In a deeply polarized United States, ordinary people now consume and espouse once-radical ideas and are primed to commit violence.

Extremist violence by Jewish Israelis in the West Bank is surging. But if you can’t articulate the threat you can’t combat it. Start with a basic principle: Name the ideology, not the demographic.

How Aspiring Autocrats Exit

The recognition of democracy as a universally relevant system is a major revolution in thinking, and one of the main contributions of the twentieth century. While not yet universally practiced, democracy is now being taken as generally right.

The future of nonviolent resistance may depend on movements’ ability to move beyond mass protests toward exploring alternative tactics and developing smarter, longer-term strategies.

"Democracies in challenging regions can endure only if they maintain a firm boundary between legitimate political disagreement, however contentious, and movements that seek to erode the state’s foundational commitments from within."

In both Eastern and Western Europe, social-democratic parties have shifted to the center on economic policy, not only sapping the electoral strength of these parties, but also opening up political space for the populist right.

Artificial Intelligence has become autocrats’ newest tool for surveilling, targeting, and crushing dissent. Activists must learn how to harness it in the fight for freedom.

We have long assumed democracy and liberalism went hand in hand. But in truth there have always been tensions between them, and the rise of illiberal democracy cannot be ignored.

How We Restore Turkey’s Democracy

Extremist violence by Jewish Israelis in the West Bank is surging. But if you can’t articulate the threat you can’t combat it. Start with a basic principle: Name the ideology, not the demographic.

The government spent billions preparing to host the 2022 World Cup. Never mind the abusive labor practices and human rights violations. It’s betting that your love of the “beautiful game” will make you more fond of this tiny Gulf state, too.

People are losing faith in democracy’s ability to deliver social progress. But are democracies better than autocracies at promoting economic growth, alleviating poverty, and creating healthier, more educated, and more peaceful societies? On all counts, the answer is yes.

Democracy’s present difficulties were predictable. History and older theories of democratic stability should have prepared us for both democratic backsliding and the vulnerability of Western democracy we are experiencing today.

The world’s “middle powers” were once bastions of defense for a liberal rules-based international order. But no more. A new kind of authoritarian middle power has emerged, undermining democratic norms and safeguards.

Liberal democracy has drawn its share of false indictments. But like any form of government, it has genuine weaknesses that can at best be managed. How well liberals navigate these inherent tensions may help determine the future of freedom.

The future of nonviolent resistance may depend on movements’ ability to move beyond mass protests toward exploring alternative tactics and developing smarter, longer-term strategies.

How AI Threatens Democracy

"Violence in the West Bank can no longer be treated as a fringe disturbance to be dismissed...It has become a systemic ideological movement, and the dominant frameworks for describing this violence, from both the right and the left, are making it harder to solve."

How Mislabeling Jewish Extremism Undermines Israel’s Democracy

Iran’s hardline government responded to nationwide protests with horrific violence, killing thousands of Iranians in a matter of days. There is nothing the regime can offer its people to regain their support.

If the war ends with the dismantling of the regime’s repressive apparatus, the Iranian people will have a rare, if fraught, opportunity. The totalitarian mindset often survives totalitarian regimes.

After January’s mass protests, Iran seemed on the verge of revolutionary upheaval. How is it weathering the U.S.-Israeli assault?

The progovernment rallies that crowd Iran’s streets are no accident. They are a critical and underappreciated pillar of the regime’s strength, and they are shaping Iran’s response to the war.

If one of the goals of the war was to decimate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, it has had the opposite effect. The IRGC will come out of the conflict stronger and more embedded in Iranian politics.

Iran’s theocracy has waged a brutal campaign against its own citizens for years. Now that the Woman, Life, Freedom movement has stripped the regime of any legitimacy, the mullahs have had no response but to sharpen their instruments of repression. muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

The United States and Iran formally signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding on June 17. Are Iranians any closer to freedom?

Extremist violence by Jewish Israelis in the West Bank is surging. But if you can’t articulate the threat you can’t combat it. Start with a basic principle: Name the ideology, not the demographic.

President Erdoğan’s rule has grown more repressive as he realizes he has no democratic path to power. But we are united in our resolve and determined to make Turkey a democratic republic worthy of its people.

Mali’s spiraling security crisis puts its entire region at risk. A return to democracy will be key to preventing the country from becoming a terrorist safe haven in West Africa.

We have long assumed democracy and liberalism went hand in hand. But in truth there have always been tensions between them, and the rise of illiberal democracy cannot be ignored.

Artificial Intelligence has become autocrats’ newest tool for surveilling, targeting, and crushing dissent. Activists must learn how to harness it in the fight for freedom.

Today, governments can see who buys what, who pays whom, and who donates to which cause. But they cannot easily trace or confiscate Bitcoin. The digital currency offers a lifeline to democratic movements operating in the most repressive places.

Restoring liberalism after illiberalism is no easy task: Leaders face hard choices between acting quickly and effectively while maintaining a commitment to democratic procedure. Worse, their illiberal opponents stand to benefit either way.

🎙️ In the newest episode of our series produced in collaboration with @jodemocracy.bsky.social, Ghia Nodia discusses Georgia’s fragile hybridity, the foreign agents law, and the resistance by civil society. 🧑‍💻 Listen to it now: 👉 tinyurl.com/bdhx5tax