April 2025, Volume 36, Issue 2
Syrians rejoiced when Bashar al-Assad’s regime fell. After decades of dictatorship and civil war, Syrians must now rebuild their country while seeking justice for the victims of authoritarian rule.
April 2025, Volume 36, Issue 2
Delivery matters, but so do leaders’ actions. Why have so many, in both strong and weak economies, been pushing against democratic constraints on their power, and why have those constraints failed to contain them?
April 2025, Volume 36, Issue 2
Ukraine versus Russia is a modern David versus Goliath conflict that matters not only for the future of Ukraine, but for that of democracy itself.
July 2024, Volume 35, Issue 3
The “crisis” of democracy is a crisis of representation. New parties, some of which are populist in troublingly illiberal ways, are arising from this moment. The danger that they pose is not that they are antidemocratic, but that they are antiliberal.
Beijing Wants to Erase Tibet’s Name. Don’t Let Them. | Tenzin Dorjee and James Leibold
The Chinese Communist Party is attempting to rename the Tibetan people’s homeland, part of a wider effort to eradicate Tibet’s cultural identity. For Tibet, it’s more than just a name.
How Dictators Use Sports to Win Friends and Influence People | Sarath K. Ganji
Authoritarians are developing new tools to project their malign influence across the globe. The world of sports can teach us a lot about the games they play.
Why Dictators Fear Universal Jurisdiction | Ezequiel Podjarny
It may be the best weapon we have for holding autocrats accountable for their crimes, and the world’s democracies are beginning to rally behind it.
News & Updates
May 2025
Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way’s landmark 2002 essay clarified the shifting democratic landscape of the late twentieth century. Now, competitive authoritarianism more than anything else explains the state of global democracy today.
May 2025
On Tuesday, May 13, the United States announced it would lift longstanding sanctions on Syria. Reintegrating into the global economy could lay the foundations for Syria’s stability and prosperity. In the Journal of Democracy’s latest issue, leading scholars unpack Assad’s unexpected fall, and the reasons for hope that Syria will flourish.
Most Read
In recent years competitive authoritarianism has emerged in some countries with relatively strong democratic traditions and institutions.
Want curated Journal of Democracy content directly in your inbox each week?
Follow the link below to receive the latest from the Journal of Democracy.
By Ayesha Jamal
The schism between the military establishment and former PM Imran Khan marks a new era of instability. Is Pakistan experiencing the rise of an autocratic deep state or the fall of authoritarian populism?
Plus the entire January 2024 issue, available free of charge for a limited time.
