July 2026, Volume 37, Issue 3
Democracies have always sparked conflict, disagreement, and deep ideological divisions. Polarized politics are hardly rare in democratic life. So under what conditions does polarization turn violent, and how can this danger be contained?
July 2026, Volume 37, Issue 3
Less than one percent of philanthropy is directed to democratic freedoms. Yet freedom is essential for everything—health, education, climate—philanthropy tries to accomplish. It is the most underpriced asset, and we are due for a market correction.
July 2026, Volume 37, Issue 3
He did the hard work of defeating Viktor Orbán. But Hungary’s new prime minister faces the harder task of undoing the damage his predecessor wrought. Can he do it while avoiding the traps Orbán left in his wake?
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.
America’s Islamist Future? | Tarek Masoud
The election of Abdul El-Sayed and other Muslim officeholders has stirred fears of an Islamist takeover. But their records tell a different story. Our democracy can survive any group’s participation.
A New Day for Democracy | Larry Diamond
We have just witnessed a series of stunning democratic gains in a single day. We may look back to see October 25, 2026 as the beginning of the end of the democratic recession.
How Did Lula Pull Off the Biggest Political Upset in Modern Brazilian History? | Ana Paula Pellegrino
Most people thought it was the end of the road for the progressive champion. But Lula’s team deployed an innovative last-minute strategy for mobilizing support that should be studied for years.
News & Updates
October 2026
Today the chief threat to democracy comes not from generals in the streets but from elected leaders dismantling it from within.
September 2026
For the first time since the party’s founding in 2013, the “firewall” that has kept the far right out of German government is trembling. Can it hold? And what does the AfD’s breakthrough reveal about the health of democracy across Europe?
Most Read
Nicolás Maduro brazenly stole Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election, despite a free, fair, and transparent ballot count that showed a clear opposition victory. Why would an autocrat want to maintain one of the world’s best voting systems?
Young people from Peru to Madagascar to Nepal—furious with political elites reaping the spoils of privilege and corruption—are rising up to demand change. But what happens when their movements succeed?
The United States has slid into competitive authoritarianism. The slide has been modest and remains reversible—but it is real. Even after Donald Trump, American democracy will remain fragile.
Forget his excuses. Russia’s autocrat doesn’t worry about NATO. What terrifies him is the prospect of a flourishing Ukrainian democracy.
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.
Read our entire October 2025 issue, featuring “What Democracy Does … and Does Not Do” by Maya Tudor.
