April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2
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.
April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2
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. It won’t be perfect justice, but it is Venezuela’s best hope.
April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2
Decentralized governance allows communities to enact policies that reflect their values. But 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.
April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2
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.
April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2
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?
April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2
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.
April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2
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.
April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2
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”?
April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2
A review of Fateful Hours: The Collapse of the Weimar Republic, by Volker Ullrich.
January 2026, Volume 37, Issue 1
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?
January 2026, Volume 37, Issue 1
Brazil did something that few democracies achieve: It convicted a former president of attempting a coup. How did the country’s courts hold would-be autocrat Jair Bolsonaro accountable when so many other coup plotters go unpunished?
January 2026, Volume 37, Issue 1
A revolution in political participation is underway: Political players and advocacy groups are using AI to draft ballot initiatives, gather signatures, and persuade voters—undermining democratic legitimacy in the process.
January 2026, Volume 37, Issue 1
Elected leaders across the globe are intentionally undermining their governments’ ability to govern. How and why do these leaders seek to dismantle the states they lead?
January 2026, Volume 37, Issue 1
Ukraine must win its war against Russian aggression. But it is also true that the decisions it makes now will determine what kind of state it will be when the war is over.
January 2026, Volume 37, Issue 1
Narendra Modi and his ruling BJP have developed the textbook attack on India’s universities and centers of free thought. It offers a vital warning for other countries where higher education is in danger.
January 2026, Volume 37, Issue 1
The reelection of Uganda’s octogenarian president Yoweri Museveni may be a foregone conclusion, but the country is wracked with unease. His highly personalized regime is passing, and there is no clear view of what will follow.
January 2026, Volume 37, Issue 1
As Tanzania’s October 2025 sham election got underway, protests broke out across the country, sparking a brutal regime crackdown. That brief reign of terror marks a turning point for both the ruling party and the Tanzanian people. There is no going back.
January 2026, Volume 37, Issue 1
Moldova is poor, strategically located, and under intense pressure from Russia. But one of Europe’s smallest players has come up with a surprisingly effective recipe for holding Russian dominance at bay.
January 2026, Volume 37, Issue 1
Ecuador was already besieged by crime and violence. Now it faces a populist president whose “strong hand” policies show little success. They may do even more damage to the country’s democracy.
January 2026, Volume 37, Issue 1
Two decades ago, there was a wave of optimism about the rise of “Muslim democracy,” but these hopes have not been realized. What are the real barriers to progress?
