Articles

April 2025, Volume 36, Issue 2

The Perils of South Korean Democracy

When South Korea’s president declared martial law last December, he shocked the country and sparked a political crisis that laid bare deep-seated divisions. Can Korean democracy overcome the nationalist polarization that has always defined it?

April 2025, Volume 36, Issue 2

Divining Syria’s Future

Everything we know about getting and keeping democracy suggests we should be, at best, cautious about the prospects for Syria’s democratic future. But, as this collection of essays suggests, there are reasons for hope.

April 2025, Volume 36, Issue 2

India’s New Minority Politics

The ruling BJP has long sought to sideline Indian Muslims. But even the opposition is opting to exclude them politically. Muslims’ chances at greater representation remain dim.

April 2025, Volume 36, Issue 2

How Autocrats Use Proxies to Control the Media

Propaganda is autocrats’ weapon of first resort, allowing them to rely on persuasion rather than violence to achieve their ends. But citizens have grown savvy, so autocrats are taking a new tack: spreading their messages via private news outlets indirectly controlled by regime proxies.

April 2025, Volume 36, Issue 2

The Authoritarian Origins of the Third Wave

The “third wave” of democracy started in 1974 — or so the story goes. But the crests and crashes of waves of democracy and authoritarianism have been neglected. A close look can help us understand the current moment, when democracy appears to be in retreat.

April 2025, Volume 36, Issue 2

Neoliberalism and the Third Wave

Democracy across the world is being undermined by the very forces that once made it possible: the liberal economic order and political competition. The global concentration of wealth has made democratic governance less effective and stripped the people of their power.

April 2025, Volume 36, Issue 2

The Third Wave’s Lessons for Democracy

When the “third wave” reached Latin America in the 1970s and 1980s, it brought major advances for democracy. By the first decade of the current century, however, advances had given way to stasis and even erosion.

Free

January 2025, Volume 36, Issue 1

When Should the Majority Rule?

With illiberal forces ascendant across the globe, protecting individual liberties and the democratic process is crucial. But when institutions empower minority groups over the majority, can democracy survive?

Free

January 2025, Volume 36, Issue 1

Why Ukraine Shouldn’t Negotiate with Putin

Many pundits cry for a negotiated settlement to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. But they misunderstand Vladimir Putin’s motives. The only just end to the war will be in the trenches, not at the bargaining table.

January 2025, Volume 36, Issue 1

How Maduro Stole Venezuela’s Vote

Nicolás Maduro brazenly stole Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election, despite a free, fair, and transparent ballot count that showed a clear opposition victory. Why would an autocrat want to maintain one of the world’s best voting systems?

January 2025, Volume 36, Issue 1

The Return of Politics in Bangladesh

The student movement that toppled Bangladesh’s longtime autocratic ruler wants more than a return to the old order. These young revolutionaries are seizing a chance to start anew. How and by whom will the country’s future be decided?

January 2025, Volume 36, Issue 1

Sri Lanka’s Peaceful Revolution

The 2024 election led to a dramatic changing of the guard, ushering in new political leaders and ousting dynastic elites. Can a new president correct the corruption and misgovernance of the past?