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 judiciary is widely assumed to defend democracy. Yet in reality, even when independent of elected governments, courts can endanger democracy—sometimes by enabling executives and sometimes by aggressively fighting them.
April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2
Venezuela has a path to democracy, but it requires dismantling the old regime. María Corina Machado, the country’s true democratic leader, must signal her credibility as a moderate through a framework of transitional justice. It won’t be perfect justice, but it is Venezuela’s best hope.
April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2
Decentralized governance allows communities to enact policies that reflect their values. But in the digital age, when news spreads far and fast, what’s happening in one place may inflame citizens’ attitudes thousands of miles away, magnifying political differences and division.
How to Defeat the Authoritarian Message | Filip Milačić
If democracy’s defenders want to push back against authoritarianism, they must learn to tap into patriotic language and a sense of national identity. Such emotional appeals shouldn’t be left to autocrats and demagogues.
How Péter Magyar Defeated Viktor Orbán | Sándor Ésik
The opposition party leader pulled off the most stunning election upset in modern Hungarian history. Magyar did it by taking the fight to the countryside and winning over Orbán voters who were tired of corruption and poor results.
The Day After Hungary’s Pivotal Election | Stefania Kapronczay and Breza Race Maksimovic
As Hungary approaches a crucial election, Viktor Orbán finds himself vulnerable. These are the three most likely postelection scenarios and how civil society must respond.
News & Updates
April 2026
Read why AI isn’t the autocrat’s silver bullet, how authoritarian middle powers are subverting democracy, why the global democratic recession should have come as no surprise, what we misunderstand about populism and how it affects liberal democracy, and much more.
March 2026
Thousands of workers lost their jobs last week — laid off by CEOs anticipating sweeping changes to their businesses made possible by the latest advances in artificial intelligence.
Most Read
The case of Hungary shows how autocrats can rig elections legally, using legislative majorities to change the law and neutralize the opposition at every turn, no matter what strategy they adopt.
Decentralized governance allows communities to enact policies that reflect their values. But in the digital age, when news spreads far and fast, what’s happening in one place may inflame citizens’ attitudes thousands of miles away, magnifying political differences and division.
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.
Today, the principal challenge to democracy is coming not from coups but from democratic erosion driven by elected leaders. What is behind this shift, and how can prodemocracy forces push back?
Populism is too often treated as if it is all one thing. But what if populist politics and democratic backsliding didn’t have to go together? A closer look reveals two kinds of populism, one of which is less threatening to…
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By Nancy Bermeo
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.
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