April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2
Artificial intelligence is often seen as a silver bullet for authoritarians, a breakthrough technology making repression cheaper, faster, and more precise. But it has inherent weaknesses, and dictators can’t escape these dilemmas.
April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2
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.
April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2
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.
January 2026, Volume 37, Issue 1
Young people from Peru to Madagascar to Nepal—furious with political elites reaping the spoils of privilege and corruption—are rising up to demand change. But what happens when their movements succeed?
Defending Democracy Must Begin in the Classroom | Victoria Tin-bor Hui McClintock
There are no heroes coming to save our democracy. If we are to mount a defense, it must begin with students learning the necessary skills in the classroom.
Dictators Are Buying Into Western Media | John Jamesen Gould
It’s happening in plain sight—and no one’s even trying to hide it.
What Venezuela’s Twin Earthquakes Exposed | Maryhen Jiménez, Rebecca Hanson, Benedicte Bull, and Verónica Zubillaga
From state officials taking selfies amid the rubble to soldiers looting, Venezuela’s earthquake response reveals why corrupt authoritarian governments fail so badly when disasters strike.
News & Updates
June 2026
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 — most notably, jailing its presidential candidate, Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and removing party leader Özgür Özel.
June 2026
The United States and Iran formally signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding on June 17. Under the terms, which include ending sanctions on Iran, releasing its frozen funds, and pledging not to interfere in each other’s internal affairs, both sides have agreed to a 60-day ceasefire to allow further negotiations toward a final peace deal.
Most Read
The coercive tools of modern autocracies are highly integrated, with an ability to monitor, restrict, and shape behavior at scale and in real-time. It is time for democratic movements to adapt and respond with a decentralized resistance of their own.
Democracies have always sparked conflict, disagreement, and deep ideological divisions. Polarized politics are hardly rare in democratic life. So under what conditions does polarization turn violent, and how can this danger be contained?
Beijing knows digital surveillance of the world’s most populous nation is technologically demanding. So the Party has hired corporations to occupy the “public-opinion battlefield” and spot the trouble before it spreads.
No other democratic power will be able to uphold a new international order. Autocrats and illiberal coalitions are already rushing into the breach, and if they go unchecked, the damage will be lasting.
Less than one percent of philanthropy is directed to democratic freedoms. Yet freedom is essential for everything—health, education, climate—philanthropy tries to accomplish. It is the most underpriced asset, and we are due for a market correction.
Follow the link below to receive the latest essays and updates from the Journal of Democracy.
Read our entire July 2025 issue, featuring “Can Capitalism Save Democracy?” by Semuhi Sinanoglu, Lucan Way, and Steven Levitsky.
