April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2
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?
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.
The Election Fraud Epidemic | Gerardo de Icaza
Nowadays some politicians cry “fraud” even before the election. Too often the accusation has nothing to do with electoral manipulation. It has become a weapon to attack institutions, justify antidemocratic measures, and reject election results.
Trust, Blood, and Power in Putin’s Russia| Roman Badanin
Who does Putin trust? Russia is governed by an array of “ruling dynasties,” where kinship and personal ties matter over all else. Where corruption goes unchecked, nepotism rules.
Taiwan Needs More Than Democracy to Defend Itself | Khedroob Thondup
Taiwan held its first direct presidential election thirty years ago. Today it faces relentless threats from the Chinese Communist Party. Its best defense is self-deterrence.
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
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?
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.
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…
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.
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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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