“No Kings” protests in the U.S. and globally have mobilized millions against the Trump administration’s policies. But are mass protests enough to spark actual democratic change?
@saskiabr.bsky.social and Shreya Joshi unpack: carnegieendowment.org/emissary/202...
Democratic erosion and far-right mobilization are shrinking women's political power, as funders are retreating.
Facing these challenges, those who still support women's political empowerment need bolder investments. New from @saskiabr.bsky.social for @europeandemocracyhub.epd.eu 🔽
Missed the event? You can watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fyp...
Tune in tomorrow! Register below:
Join us for this timely discussion next week!
🆕"Africa’s democratic landscape defies a single story of systemic backsliding or reform—and instead is best understood as a collection of diverging and still unsettled trajectories."
@saskiabr.bsky.social and Frances Brown identify four governance trends to watch for in Africa this year⤵️
🆕Can street protests—like those in Minneapolis—actually slow democratic erosion? @saskiabr.bsky.social lays out the 3 features of impactful protest: nonviolence, broad coalitions, and long-term, institutional action.
Today for @foreignpolicy.com ⤵️
Say their names.
At least 12 women have now died in the US because of delays in accessing medically necessary reproductive care.
msmagazine.com/2024/11/04/w...
We may hope that voters punish democratic erosion. But comparative evidence suggests that in polarized contexts, they often don't.
In Democracy Without Exception, I reflect on what opposition strategies have worked:
democracywithoutexception.substack.com/p/dont-count... @carnegiedcg.bsky.social
I really recommend this from @saskiabr.bsky.social. And while you're at it, subscribe to Democracy without Exception! Always good, grounded discussion that does the much-needed work of analyzing the US in a global context democracywithoutexception.substack.com/p/dont-count...
While it’s tempting to blame the backlash against gender equality on specific leaders like Hungary’s Viktor Orbán or the U.S.’s Donald Trump, it’s a global problem – and solving it requires a new playbook.
@saskiabr.bsky.social explains in @foreignaffairs.com: www.foreignaffairs.com/world/how-sa...
My latest article, for @foreignaffairs.com, on how to the fight for women's rights has to adapt to a changed geopolitical landscape:
Important reading from @saskiabr.bsky.social on threats to women's rights in the context of democratic backsliding: "...Antidemocratic actors intentionally use gender to polarize the public and delegitimize broader human rights and equality norms." @carnegiedcg.bsky.social
@saskiabr.bsky.social spoke to @nytimes.com about the connection between gender equality and democracy! Quotes in the thread🧵⤵️
Read Saskia's full report "The New Struggle Over Gender, Rights, and Family Values" here:
@saskiabr.bsky.social and I wrote in @foreignpolicy.com about the dismantling of gender equality architecture in U.S. foreign policy, including offices that were created more than six decades ago with bipartisan consensus. foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/13/t...
"The Trump administration has abandoned the consensus that women's participation and perspectives add value to U.S. security policy and operations." @rcturk.bsky.social @saskiabr.bsky.social @foreignpolicy.com foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/13/t...
📽️📽️Check out the new explainer video from
@carnegieendowment.org on global lessons for nonprofits responding to shrinking civic space in the U.S.
The video highlights 3⃣ findings from the work of DCG Senior Fellow @saskiabr.bsky.social:
Civil society in the US faces new threats and pressures.
What can US nonprofits learn from strategies used by organizations and activists in other countries? This short video highlights findings from my research:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMbw...
🎙️"A lot of these [illiberal] actors have recognized that gender issues are a really good mobilization tool...It becomes a symbol of what you are against."
Listen to @saskiabr.bsky.social's discussion with @markleongoldberg.bsky.social on the #GlobalDispatches podcast👇
From Uganda to Nigeria, activists have pushed back against threats to protests, nonprofits, and free speech.
What can U.S. civil society learn from their success? We unpacked three strategies, based on work by @carnegiedcg.bsky.social's @saskiabr.bsky.social: www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMbw...
Around the world, issues of so-called “gender ideology” – or issues like gender equality and LBGTQ rights – are subject to a new, powerful wave of backlash.
@carnegiedcg.bsky.social's @saskiabr.bsky.social explained how this backlash manifests in different regions 👇
Checking in from parental leave to share my latest paper with @carnegiedcg.bsky.social!
What's behind the contemporary anti-gender backlash? How does it manifest across different countries and regions? And why has it been difficult to mount an effective response?
🔽 🔽 🔽
"The 2024 Super Election Year for Women in Politics: Stagnation, Setbacks, and Surprising Wins." Publication for the Colmena Fund for Women's Political Power, written by Saskia Brechenmacher.
🆕| The 2024 election year did not bring major upticks in women’s political representation.
This negative trendline underscores that the road to gender parity remains arduous and uncertain, argues @saskiabr.bsky.social.
Read her newest publication for the Colmena Fund👇
colmena.fund/wp-content/u...
How is Trump eroding U.S. press freedoms?
In their piece for @wpr.bsky.social, @saskiabr.bsky.social & Margot Treadwell highlight three key tactics, drawing insights from other backsliding democracies👇
These men (Musk, Hegseth, Kennedy Jr, Dana White) "weren’t elevated despite their alleged abuse of women. Putting them in charge proclaims that their values are now ascendant — power, aggression, hierarchy and leader-worship."
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/28/o...
"In addition to targeting a vulnerable minority, attacks on gender ideology open the door to a much wider offensive against equality norms and rights protections," asserts @saskiabr.bsky.social.
Read her full piece for @carnegieendowment.org👇
ICYMI - after the German elections, the most important take aways are on Democracy and Defense. Analysis from @saskiabr.bsky.social and me for @carnegieendowment.org
Germany's elections affirmed 2 major trends shaping its politics: increasing political fragmentation and the rise of the far-right.
The election results hold significant ramifications for Germany, the EU, and beyond, write @sophiabesch.bsky.social & @saskiabr.bsky.social for @carnegieendowment.org👇
