Democracy is in decline, growing weaker from within. But why? Is it political dysfunction, economic mismanagement, threats from authoritarian powers? More important, can we reverse the damage from backsliding before it’s too late?

🚨If you notice an incumbent implementing a policy previously enacted by an autocrat, sound the alarm! 🚨 The best way to mobilize civil society in defence of democracy is by warning the general public of incumbents' autocratic tendencies via clear, concrete evidence.

"Tribal hostilities are now so prevalent as to seem the natural order of things. Many people opt for the clarity of a pure identity and ideology over the messy work of dealing with difference. But this need not be the end of democracy’s story."

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.

"Because the primary threat to Putin and his autocratic regime is democracy, not NATO, that perceived threat would not magically disappear with a moratorium on NATO expansion." Read "What Putin Fears Most":

"Volunteers organized into working groups to coordinate logistics, safety, legal aid, and digital communications. IT students developed encrypted platforms for secure communication and coordination." Read how Serbian students created the largest protest movement in decades:

Trump and Putin’s meeting in Alaska underscored how they see the world in the same way, while highlighting the deepening divisions that are weakening the Western democratic alliance.

Referendums — when presidents ask the public to vote on key issues instead of involving the legislature — are often used in Latin America as a "shortcut" to force quick, institutional change. This limits checks on executive power.

Aspiring authoritarians share some common tactics for trying to dismantle a democracy. But recent cases also reveal lessons on how to defend against these attacks and slow the threat of democratic backsliding.

"Even as preelectoral maneuvers have filled the illiberal space, polarization has been spiraling...Not even 5 percent of voters will say that they are willing to cross this electoral divide."

“Nonviolence is not only a moral stance for the Serbian student movement, it is a deliberate strategy to maintain legitimacy and broaden appeal.” @jodemocracy.bsky.social www.journalofdemocracy.org/online-exclu...

The government of Nepal has become the third South Asian government to collapse amid mass protests in three years. It will take more than elections to restore stability. Young protesters want to see real change.

In environments of extreme polarization, would-be authoritarians leverage voters' dissatisfaction with party platforms to gain supporters, knowing "their supporters would rather tolerate their authoritarian tendencies than back politicians whose platform they abhor." muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

A common form of democratic backsliding, "executive aggrandizement", occurs when "elected executives weaken checks on executive power one by one, undertaking a series of institutional changes" that aim to make it harder for the opposition to challenge executive power. muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

Read "Democracy as a Universal Value" by Amartya Sen, from the July 1999 issue of @jodemocracy.bsky.social at @projectmuse.bsky.social muse.jhu.edu/article/16979

“Coalition building was an organic part of the resistance. Protesters deliberately sought ways to include marginalized voices—rural communities, minority groups, and workers in the public sector.” @jodemocracy.bsky.social www.journalofdemocracy.org/online-exclu...

Why do voters support leaders who subvert democracy? "In polarized societies, ordinary people become pro- or anti-Chávez, Orbán, or Erdoğan first, and democrats only second," writes Milan W. Svolik. muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

"Citizens often have to accept outcomes they do not like or prefer in the interest of a common good," writes Francis Fukuyama. "A culture of tolerance and mutual sympathy must override partisan passions." muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

Political violence is rising in wealthy democracies. Political leaders, more than anyone, have the power to stoke or stamp out this dangerous cycle of violence.

How can we prevent political violence?

Democracy in the Czech Republic is eroding from the left rather than the right. Leftist parties embrace rhetoric of regime change, welfare populism, anti-immigration and national-conservatism.

Protestors in Nepal must hone in on a handful of politically plausible priorities in order to see results. "The future of Nepal is unclear. It is very possible that new elections will not directly address protesters’ grievances."

"Organizationally amorphous, decentralized movements have proven to be remarkably potent tools against political establishments that lack legitimacy and whose governing institutions and ruling political parties have been hollowed out by patronage and personalism."

The government of Nepal has become the third South Asian government to collapse amid mass protests in three years. It will take more than elections to restore stability. Young protesters want to see real change.

"Polarization over issues is so sharp, and rival policy agendas have so few areas of overlap, that each camp preaches largely to itself, reinforcing its current members’ demands and anxieties and making zero effort to appeal across the aisle."

"Presidentially led referendums produce unstable institutional changes, cutting short the legacies, democratic or not, that presidents would hope to root within Ecuadorian society."

After a democracy turns illiberal, can it return to democracy again? Here are the reasons why democracy after illiberalism is hard to maintain.

For now, Ecuador’s Constitutional Court has pushed back against its own demise. But Ecuador's current president will continue to fight against checks on his power.

Very illuminating essay, bracing read:

Read of the day

Ook hierom is het cruciaal om onze rechtsstaat te versterken tegen anti-democratische krachten. Voorkomen ipv genezen —> “A key legacy of democratic backsliding is a series of institutional traps that are difficult to counteract without resorting to the same decisionist methods that made them.”

oh hey look what i found @jodemocracy.bsky.social bsky.app/profile/jode...

The Czech Republic’s growing polarization is bringing illiberal political parties to the fore.

From enhancing physical security to encouraging mutual trust, an inclusive sense of national identity continues to be crucial to the flourishing of modern states. muse.jhu.edu/article...

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. muse.jhu.edu/article...

"For better or worse, we are 'stuck' with democracy as the catchword of contemporary political discourse. It is the word that resonates in people's minds and springs from their lips as they struggle for freedom and a better way of life." muse.jhu.edu/article...

On this International Day of Democracy, we reflect on democracy’s inherent value, try to understand why faith in self-rule is waning, and consider what we can do to strengthen the cause.

It has long been a stalwart defender of democracy. But in this election season, the Czech Republic’s growing polarization is bringing illiberal political parties to the fore.

Political violence is rising in wealthy democracies. Polarized societies and bitter party politics are putting candidates and election officials in serious peril. Political leaders, more than anyone, have the power to stoke or stamp out this dangerous cycle of violence.

How do you create a powerful protest movement without a leader? Serbia's student movement, one of the largest and most coordinated protest movements in decades, offers a blueprint.

If leading indices suggest only a modest erosion of global democracy, what explains the widespread perception of steep decline? Read "Democracy's Surprising Resilience" by Steven Levitsky and Lucan A. Way: muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

When nonviolent mass protests occur under authoritarian regimes, the military plays a key role in determining the outcome: the hardening of the dictatorship, a new authoritarian regime, or a transition to democracy. muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

After a democracy turns illiberal, can it return to democracy again? Here are the reasons why democracy after illiberalism is hard to maintain.

"In Putin’s mind, Ukrainian democracy poses an existential threat to his power and the survival of his regime in Russia. A prosperous, free Ukraine would set a powerful example for Russia’s own citizens that democracy can succeed in an eastern Slavic country."

Old-fashioned military coups and blatant election-day fraud are becoming mercifully rarer these days, but other, subtler forms of democratic regression are a growing problem that demands more attention. muse.jhu.edu/article...

🚨 Recognize these symptoms of democratic backsliding before it's too late: 1) Extreme polarization 2) Executive control of legislature 3) Quiet incremental tests of democratic norms and limits muse.jhu.edu/article...

Ecuador’s presidents have a history of asking the public to back their initiatives rather than building political coalitions to accomplish their goals. The country’s current president is no different — and it comes at a high cost.

How to prevent political violence:

Democratic backsliding is a major concern, but democratic resilience appears shaky at best. Can democracy survive?

How can we prevent political violence?