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July 2025, Volume 36, Issue 3

The Myth of Democratic Resilience

We must face an uncomfortable truth: Democracies often fail to reverse the damage after an authoritarian lapse, if they manage to recover at all. If we are to make our political systems more resilient, we must steel democracy against authoritarianism before it is too late.

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July 2025, Volume 36, Issue 3

The Authoritarian Argument

Authoritarian regimes are not lawless. Rather, autocrats take to the courtroom to not only enforce their will but to justify their rule. So how do they appeal to reason? How do they rationalize their undemocratic turn?

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July 2025, Volume 36, Issue 3

Religious Exclusion and the Origins of Democracy

The most challenging type of diversity for democracy is religious diversity. This also helps explain why modern democracy first took root in Western Europe: Religiously homogenous populations went hand in hand with the early formation of parliaments.

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July 2025, Volume 36, Issue 3

Tanzania’s Autocratic Reform-Washing

President Samia Suluhu Hassan came into office promising democratic reforms. Four years later, it is clear she is more of a performer than a reformer. Far from delivering on her promises to unwind Tanzania’s authoritarian machinery, she is relying on the repressive tools we know so well.

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July 2025, Volume 36, Issue 3

Secularism, Islamism, and the Future of Turkey

The political struggle between President Erdoğan and opposition leader Ekrem İmamoğlu is a fierce battle for the country’s democracy. But it goes deeper than that. It is also a struggle between Islamist and secularist visions of Turkey.

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July 2025, Volume 36, Issue 3

How to Fight Turkey’s Authoritarian Turn

As President Erdoğan’s grip on power is slipping, his regime is turning more repressive. But Turkey may still avoid becoming a full-blown autocracy. The opposition is increasingly popular, and there remains a way to tilt the playing field to their advantage.

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July 2025, Volume 36, Issue 3

Bolivia’s Silent Destruction

Bolivia’s Amazon forests are becoming scorched earth, with millions of acres lost each year to raging fires. Worse, this disaster is being caused by a government more interested in corrupt profits than protecting its people and wildlife.

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July 2025, Volume 36, Issue 3

The Philippines’ Dynastic Democracy

Midterm elections saw unprecedented voter participation, especially among the young, but the country’s politics are being held hostage by the bitter struggle between the Marcos and Duterte clans. The polarizing fight is taking a toll on the Philippines’ democracy, with no end in sight.

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July 2025, Volume 36, Issue 3

What Kind of State for Syria?

Syria is a rare case. A state being governed by a new elite that is committed to Islamic thought but open to a wide range of intellectual influences. While it is early, we may see the rise of a novel brand of Islamic presidentialism in the works.

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July 2025, Volume 36, Issue 3

The Islamic Republic’s War on Iranians

Iran’s theocracy has waged a brutal campaign against its own citizens for years. Now that the Woman, Life, Freedom movement has stripped the regime of any legitimacy, the mullahs have had no response but to sharpen their instruments of repression.

July 2025, Volume 36, Issue 3

Documents on Democracy

Maria Sarungi Tsehai refuses to be silent; Ekrem İmamoğlu’s letter from prison; a Venezuelan opposition leader’s final message before his arrest; a 19-year-old Russian dissident’s final court statement; Dominican protesters and journalists march for freedom of the press; and the Tiananmen Mothers remember the massacre.

April 2025, Volume 36, Issue 2

The Perils of South Korean Democracy

When South Korea’s president declared martial law last December, he shocked the country and sparked a political crisis that laid bare deep-seated divisions. Can Korean democracy overcome the nationalist polarization that has always defined it?

April 2025, Volume 36, Issue 2

Divining Syria’s Future

Everything we know about getting and keeping democracy suggests we should be, at best, cautious about the prospects for Syria’s democratic future. But, as this collection of essays suggests, there are reasons for hope.