Generative AI can flood the media, internet, and even personal correspondence, sowing confusion for voters and government officials alike. If we fail to act, mounting mistrust will polarize our societies and tear at our institutions.

An expansive underworld of hidden wealth lies beneath the everyday economy. This stealth network of tax havens, secret trusts, and offshore accounts is weakening democratic institutions and fueling our worst enemies.

While the histories of white supremacy and Hindu supremacy are different, their political objectives are much the same. The BJP is forging a regime of exclusion and oppression as brutal as the Jim Crow South. Only India’s voters can reverse its advance.

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.

How Hate-Speech Laws Crush Dissent Everywhere When democracies pass laws against hate speech and extremism, they are giving autocrats the cover they need for their own crackdowns. We shouldn’t let democratic norms become a blueprint for repression.

AI with superhuman abilities could emerge within the next few years, and there is currently no guarantee that we will be able to control them. We must act now to protect democracy, human rights, and our very existence.

When democracies pass laws against hate speech and extremism, they are giving autocrats the cover they need for their own crackdowns. We shouldn’t let democratic norms become a blueprint for repression.

Generative AI can flood the media, internet, and even personal correspondence, sowing confusion for voters and government officials alike. If we fail to act, mounting mistrust will polarize our societies and tear at our institutions.

"Just as civil resistance has become the most common approach to challenging regimes, it has begun to grow less effective—at least in the short term." What changed?

"The question of whether India is a democracy today is not just pivotal to our analysis of the country’s political future but to our understanding of democratic trends more broadly."

Russia was never truly a democracy, writes Maria Snegovaya.

What Is Competitive Authoritarianism?

You hear the term “competitive authoritarianism” all the time these days, but it was first introduced in our pages by Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way in 2002 to describe a type of political regime that is neither democratic nor fully authoritarian. Read the essay: muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

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.

If democracy’s defenders want to push back against authoritarianism, they must learn to tap into patriotic language and a sense of national identity. Such emotional appeals shouldn’t be left to autocrats and demagogues.

Opposition leader Péter Magyar overcame the rigged system that Orbán created and used it against him. The old playbook of disinformation and dirty tricks was no match for a disciplined campaign that gave Hungarians their voice.

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.

Why the Islamic Republic Still Stands

If one of the goals of the war with Iran 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.

The Atlantic Alliance should be celebrated for being more than the world’s greatest military compact. It’s an engine of democracy’s advance.

Beijing is engaged in a deliberate and devastating war on Tibetan heritage, culture, and memory. And in this war, the Chinese Communist Party’s chief target is Tibetan children.

Africa’s aspiring dictators are attacking term limits with a vengeance, finding new ways to avoid handing over power. But citizens are overwhelmingly against it — and can help keep their leaders in check.

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 Viktor Orbán Loses

Why India’s Democracy Is Dying

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.

In Africa, the race for critical minerals isn’t just about supply chains and industrial strategy. It underscores the need to build democratic institutions to govern the new mineral rush while protecting citizens’ rights.

"We cannot allow ourselves either complacency or exhaustion, no matter how harshly our endurance is tested. Our duty is to persevere until Turkey once again becomes a democratic republic worthy of its people and its history," writes Özgür Özel.

Generative AI can flood the media, internet, and even personal correspondence, sowing confusion for voters and government officials alike. If we fail to act, mounting mistrust will polarize our societies and tear at our institutions.

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.

"In Tibet today, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is waging a war not only against territory and religion, but against memory itself. The battlefield is the classroom. The weapons are language policies, boarding schools, and ideological indoctrination."

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.

"By removing children from the daily rhythms of Tibetan life, Beijing weakens the bonds of community and interrupts the transmission of culture...children return home unable to speak fluently in Tibetan, embarrassed by their traditions, and alienated from Buddhist practice."

"As chair of the CHP, I believe we face a truly gargantuan task: nothing less than saving Turkey’s democracy, a struggle we cannot afford to lose," writes Özgür Özel.

Beijing is engaged in a deliberate and devastating war on Tibetan heritage, culture, and memory. And in this war, the Chinese Communist Party’s chief target is Tibetan children.

China’s Campaign Against Tibetan Children

In the lead up to elections, Bolivia's polarization deepened. But Bolivians showed how a massive civil society movement can organize to restore democracy. It’s a blueprint for nonviolent activists everywhere.

"We believe that the people’s peaceful civic resistance against this authoritarian regime remains essential...Since March 2025, we have organized major rallies, first in Istanbul, then in other cities, where we meet directly with citizens." How We Restore Turkey's Democracy:

Beijing is engaged in a deliberate and devastating war on Tibetan heritage, culture, and memory. And in this war, the Chinese Communist Party’s chief target is Tibetan children.

Why the Iranian Regime Owns the Streets 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.

The Rise of Authoritarian Middle Powers 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.

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.

How Péter Magyar Defeated Viktor Orbán

How Viktor Orbán Loses

In the lead up to elections, the country’s polarization deepened. But Bolivians showed how a massive civil society movement can organize to restore democracy. It’s a blueprint for nonviolent activists everywhere.

"Turkey is now the site of one of the defining democratic struggles of the twenty-first century. Week after week, citizens who are determined to defend democracy and the rule of law continue to gather at mass rallies in Istanbul and in cities and towns across the country."

If you missed your chance to read our full April issue free, don't worry—you can still read three essays from the issue for free on our website!

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.

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.

Populism is too often treated as if it is all one thing. But what if populist politics and democratic backsliding didn’t have to go together? A closer look reveals two kinds of populism, one of which is less threatening to liberal democracy. LAST DAY TO READ FREE: muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...