July 2026, Volume 37, Issue 3
Editor’s Note: The Journal of Democracy’s Next Chapter
Read the full note here.
Articles
July 2026, Volume 37, Issue 3
The Democratic Drain
Global migration is quietly altering democratic politics in the places people leave behind. It is not just a shift in labor; it is a shift in democratic values. It may be gradual, but it can become a hidden demographic underpinning of authoritarianism.
July 2026, Volume 37, Issue 3
Why the IRGC Is the War’s Biggest Winner
The U.S.-Israeli war in Iran has elevated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from the regime’s chief coercive tool to the regime itself. Expect an Iran that is more aggressive abroad and more repressive at home.
July 2026, Volume 37, Issue 3
When Polarization Turns Violent
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
The Power of Freedom Philanthropy
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
Can the Liberal Order Survive America’s Retreat?
No other democratic power will be able to uphold a new international order. Autocrats and illiberal coalitions are already rushing into the breach, and if they go unchecked, the damage will be lasting.
July 2026, Volume 37, Issue 3
How to Combat Transnational Repression
Authoritarians actively threaten, intimidate, and murder exiles and opponents wherever they find them. While justice for victims is hard won, it is possible. Here is how democracies can push back.
July 2026, Volume 37, Issue 3
Can Péter Magyar Restore Hungary’s Democracy?
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?
July 2026, Volume 37, Issue 3
How Civil Society Defeated Orbán
Viktor Orbán was ousted by an innovative, grassroots, nationwide campaign run by local civic groups called Tisza Islands. Their success offers a new playbook for civic mobilization against aspiring autocrats.
July 2026, Volume 37, Issue 3
Why Oppositions Lose Together and Win Alone
It was long thought that, to be successful, oppositions needed to form broad-based alliances ahead of elections. But Hungary and Turkey show that a single challenger has real advantages against a would-be autocrat.
July 2026, Volume 37, Issue 3
Democracy in an Age of Networked Control
The coercive tools of modern autocracies are highly integrated, with an ability to monitor, restrict, and shape behavior at scale and in real-time. It is time for democratic movements to adapt and respond with a decentralized resistance of their own.
July 2026, Volume 37, Issue 3
How the CCP Outsources Surveillance
Beijing knows digital surveillance of the world’s most populous nation is technologically demanding. So the Party has hired corporations to occupy the “public-opinion battlefield” and spot the trouble before it spreads.
July 2026, Volume 37, Issue 3
Eritrea’s Democratic Failure
Eritrea is one of the world’s most implacable dictatorships, led by an octogenarian who shuns any hint of accountability. The country’s democratic path was never genuinely open, and it now poses a grave risk to the Horn of Africa.
July 2026, Volume 37, Issue 3
The Danger of Democratic Backsliding in East Asia
Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan are typically seen as democratic stalwarts, on par with older established democracies. But all three countries face growing pressures that threaten its political foundations.
April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2
The Limits of Authoritarian AI
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.
April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2
The Rise of Authoritarian Middle Powers
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.
April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2
Democracy’s Troubles Should Be No Surprise
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.
April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2
Why Elected Leaders Subvert Democracy
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
How Courts Undermine Democracy
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.