How to Defeat the Authoritarian Message | Journal of Democracy 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…

How to Defeat the Authoritarian Message

How Viktor Orbán Loses | Journal of Democracy Opposition leader Péter Magyar overcame the rigged system that Orbán created and used it against him. The old playbook of disinformation and dirty tricks was no match for a disciplined campaign that…

How Viktor Orbán Loses

L. Jason Anastasopoulos and Jie (Jason) Lian posit that no regime can escape "the autocrat’s calibration dilemma":

"Gains in accuracy have limits imposed not by computing power but by the nature of prediction in a complex society."

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Democracy’s present difficulties were predictable. History and older theories of democratic stability should have prepared us for both the democratic backsliding and vulnerability of Western democracy we see today, writes Sheri Berman.

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After fanning polarization to instigate democratic backsliding, leaders may also "attempt to persuade voters that their country’s institutions are hollow, corrupt, and ineffective, so that little is lost if the leader undermines them," writes Susan Stokes.

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Trust, Blood, and Power in Putin’s Russia | Journal of Democracy 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.

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.

Trust, Blood, and Power in Putin’s Russia | Journal of Democracy 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.

"Why have Putin and his lieutenants created large political clans?...the main reason may be that they see this as a genuine method of governing a country whose democratic institutions (above all elections and free media) they long ago put out of operation." —Roman Badanin

Why Xi Jinping Is Purging China’s Top Leaders | Journal of Democracy Xi’s ongoing purge of China’s leaders — including his political allies — marks a return to Mao-style court politics. He is cementing his absolute control — and laying the groundwork for a major…

Xi’s ongoing purge of China’s leaders — including his political allies — marks a return to Mao-style court politics. He is cementing his absolute control — and laying the groundwork for a major succession crisis.

The judiciary is widely assumed to defend democracy. Yet, as Andrew O’Donohue shows, even independent courts may endanger it — sometimes by enabling executives and sometimes by aggressively fighting them.

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How to Defeat the Authoritarian Message | Journal of Democracy 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…

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.

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Don't miss our April issue, featuring essays by L. Jason Anastasopoulos & Jie (Jason) Lian, Marie-Eve Desrosiers & Nic Cheeseman, Sheri Berman, Susan Stokes, Andrew O’Donohue, Pepper Culpepper & Taeku Lee, José Ramón Morales-Arilla, and many more!

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How Péter Magyar Defeated Viktor Orbán | Journal of Democracy 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…

"Magyar just orchestrated the most stunning electoral upset in modern Hungarian history, winning a two-thirds majority in parliament with a massive voter turnout (77 percent), despite the deck being heavily stacked in favor of the ruling party."

Over the last half-century, a surprising share of new democracies have put their former dictators, or the children of those dictators, back in power. What explains the electoral success of these “dictocrats” and “dictobrats”?

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The military has long had the final say in Pakistani politics. In response to Imran Khan’s populist surge, the military adapted, making use of selective repression and writing its control more deeply into the country’s institutions.

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An opposition party that swept into power with a 2021 electoral win was swept out by voters four years later. It failed to deliver on its promises and was beset by the same authoritarian leanings of those it had replaced.

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Georgian society has long aspired to join the West, but the ruling party—led by the country’s richest man—is dragging the country closer to Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Georgians are still resisting, but can they halt their country’s authoritarian slide?

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Oppositions resisting autocrats or antidemocratic incumbents could once get help internationally. But the space for democracy promotion has narrowed, while oppositions face divisions within their own ranks over how to best fight back.

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Decentralized governance allows communities to enact policies that reflect their values. 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.

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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.

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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.

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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 liberal democracy.

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How Viktor Orbán Loses | Journal of Democracy Opposition leader Péter Magyar overcame the rigged system that Orbán created and used it against him. The old playbook of disinformation and dirty tricks was no match for a disciplined campaign that…

How Viktor Orbán Loses, by @kimlanelaw.bsky.social

Magyar overcame the rigged system that Orbán created and used it against him. The old playbook of disinformation and dirty tricks was no match for a disciplined campaign that gave Hungarians their voice.

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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?

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🆕 ICYMI: APRIL ISSUE OUT NOW! Only free to read through the end of the month!

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Democracy’s present difficulties were predictable. History and older theories of democratic stability should have prepared us for both democratic backsliding and the vulnerability of Western democracy we are experiencing today.

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The world’s “middle powers” were once bastions of defense for a liberal rules-based international order. But no more. A new kind of authoritarian middle power has emerged, undermining democratic norms and safeguards.

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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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How to Defeat the Authoritarian Message | Journal of Democracy 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…

How to Defeat the Authoritarian Message

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.

Why We Elect Former Dictators and Their Children

"The democratic election of former dictators and their children is surprisingly common. Let us call the former dictocrats, a portmanteau of the words 'dictator' and 'democrat,' and the latter dictobrats."

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"Because Pakistan combines military dominance with a written constitution and elections, scholars often call it a 'backsliding democracy,' a generic hybrid regime, a 'competitive authoritarian' system...[but] classifying Pakistan as a democracy in decline is misleading."

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