COVID-19 Update: NED is continuing to operate during this worldwide health emergency, and to make grants in support of democracy.
However, our office is closed to the public and all in-person events and meetings have been postponed, cancelled or are occurring virtually.
July 2025, Volume 36, Issue 3

Can Capitalism Save Democracy?

  • Semuhi Sinanoglu
  • Lucan A. Way
  • Steven Levitsky
Capitalism is often blamed for democracy’s ills. But much of the blame is misplaced. It is not business capture of the state but rather state capture of business that poses the greatest danger to democracy.
July 2025, Volume 36, Issue 3

The Islamic Republic’s War on Iranians

  • Ladan Boroumand
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.
July 2025, Volume 36, Issue 3

Democracy After Illiberalism: A Warning from Poland

  • Stanley Bill
  • Ben Stanley
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.

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July 2025, Volume 36, Issue 3

The Myth of Democratic Resilience

We must face an uncomfortable truth: Democracies often fail to reverse the damage after an authoritarian lapse, if they manage to recover at all. If we are to make our political systems more resilient, we must steel democracy against authoritarianism before it is too late.

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July 2025, Volume 36, Issue 3

Religious Exclusion and the Origins of Democracy

The most challenging type of diversity for democracy is religious diversity. This also helps explain why modern democracy first took root in Western Europe: Religiously homogenous populations went hand in hand with the early formation of parliaments.

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July 2025, Volume 36, Issue 3

How to Fight Turkey’s Authoritarian Turn

As President Erdoğan’s grip on power is slipping, his regime is turning more repressive. But Turkey may still avoid becoming a full-blown autocracy. The opposition is increasingly popular, and there remains a way to tilt the playing field to their advantage.

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July 2025, Volume 36, Issue 3

The Authoritarian Argument

Authoritarian regimes are not lawless. Rather, autocrats take to the courtroom to not only enforce their will but to justify their rule. So how do they appeal to reason? How do they rationalize their undemocratic turn?

Latest Online Exclusives

Why Georgia’s Democracy Is Collapsing | Giorgi Meladze and Nadia Asaad
The ruling party is growing more repressive as it draws from Putin’s playbook. If the opposition is to push back successfully, they must first unify.

Democracy Without Liberalism? | Marc F. Plattner
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.

Why Cuba’s Student Movement Is Rising | Carolina Barrero
Cuba’s dictatorship has kept student movements under its thumb for decades. But the regime’s repressive tactics have inadvertently breathed new life into a new generation of student activists. These young people are willing to fight for the island’s freedom.

News & Updates

Inside Turkey’s Democratic Crisis

July 2025

Turkish democracy is at a turning point: Will democratic forces be able to triumph at the ballot box in the next general election, or will the country devolve into full-blown authoritarianism?


Four Must-Reads from the July Issue!

July 2025

The new issue of the Journal of Democracy grapples with the biggest challenges facing democracies of the past, present, and future. Don’t miss these four essays, free to read through July 31.


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The New Competitive Authoritarianism

In recent years competitive authoritarianism has emerged in some countries with relatively strong democratic traditions and institutions.