Why Polarization Is Powerful
The list of democratic countries suffering from polarized politics is long and growing. The Czech Republic — one of postcommunist Europe’s strongest democracies — is the latest to join.
Category: Event
Fighting a Gangster-Style Autocracy
The newly aggressive U.S. policy toward Nicolás Maduro and his autocratic regime, including the recent sinking of alleged Venezuelan drug boats, did not come out of nowhere.
International Day of Democracy: Recommitting to Democracy
On this International Day of Democracy, we reflect on democracy’s inherent value, try to understand why faith in self-rule is waning, and consider what we can do to strengthen the cause, sharing a selection of milestone essays to aid in this effort.
Political Violence — And How to Prevent It
Rachel Kleinfeld and Nicole Bibbins Sedaca detail the dangers of deep polarization and lay out steps that leaders and citizens can take to stop the violence.
Can Democracy Survive?
Democracy’s very survival is at the top of our readers’ minds this month. Democratic backsliding is a major concern, but democratic resilience appears shaky at best. Can anything be done? Read this month’s top ten essays to find out.
New Podcasts with JoD Authors!
The Journal of Democracy has partnered with the Review of Democracy and People, Power, Politics podcasts to share in-depth conversations with JoD authors on their latest essays. Listen, read, and learn!
The Growing Authoritarian Alliance
Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, and Narendra Modi, along with the presidents of Turkey, Iran, and other states are working together to amass power at home and project it abroad. These essays explain how they’re doing this, and what democracies can do to prevent it.
On Labor Day: Workers, Unions, and Democracy
Essays that highlight the role of labor in the fight for democracy and good government across the globe — from Africa and the Americas to Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and beyond.
Why Young People Matter for Democracy
On International Youth Day 2025, the Journal of Democracy celebrates the creativity, determination, and courage of young people across the world fighting for democracy.
Essential Summer Reads from the JoD
From the early days of this journal to our most recent issue, the JoD editors have compiled ten essays we think you should not miss this summer.
The JoD’s Top Online Essays of 2024
Elections in nearly eighty countries around the world captured headlines throughout 2024. Meanwhile, NATO turned 75, Viktor Orbán ramped up his repression, and Bitcoin became the currency of choice for democracy activists under threat. These ten essays were the JoD’s most-read online exclusives of 2024.
The JoD’s Top Essays of 2024
The world’s biggest democracy and its brand of Hindu nationalism were top of mind for our readers in 2024. Meanwhile, this “year of elections” raised questions about liberalism, civic virtue, and democratic resilience across the world. The Journal of Democracy covered all of these ideas — plus the biggest stories of the year.
Trump Wins — Again
Donald Trump won a second — and, this time, overwhelming — victory on November 5. As the United States and the world take stock, the Journal of Democracy is looking back at 2016 and Trump’s unlikely rise to power.
The People’s Republic at 75
Founded on 1 October 1949, the People’s Republic of China has entered a new age, as Xi centralizes power in his own hands and abandons the ideological openness of the reform era. Carl Minzner explains why China is entering a dangerous new chapter.
The Promise and Peril of Artificial Intelligence
The 2024 International Day of Democracy is spotlighting the potential of artificial intelligence to improve governance while also recognizing the risks it poses. Over the last year, the Journal of Democracy has published some of the world’s leading AI experts on the promise and peril it presents for democracy.
The Rise of Political Violence in the United States
The attack on Donald Trump is one of the worst instances of political violence in recent years. Such violence is the result of a moment in which people begin to see their political opponents as enemies instead of citizens of a different political stripe.
Why Democracy Survives: A Debate
Even in an era haunted by democratic decline, Jason Brownlee and Kenny Miao find that wealthy democracies are unlikely to collapse in their contribution to the October 2022 Journal of Democracy. Six top experts in the field debate their conclusions.
A Global Turning Point for Democracy? A Celebration of Larry Diamond
Journal coeditors Will Dobson and Tarek Masoud joined former coeditor Larry Diamond for a conversation on the future of democracy. At the event, Diamond was awarded NED’s Democracy Service Medal.
May 18, 2022
30th Anniversary Event: Democracy Embattled
In celebration of the Journal of Democracy‘s 30th anniversary issue, editors and contributors will gather on January 23 for reflections and discussion on authoritarianism and the global state of democracy.
January 23, 2020
Imitation and Its Discontents: Democratic Malaise in Post-Communist Europe
ABOUT THE EVENT The reasons for the failure of democracy to take hold in Russia and for its current backsliding in Central Europe are complex, but one important and often neglected factor is what Ivan Krastev (in a July 2018 article in the Journal of Democracy) has called “Imitation and Its Discontents.” Following the collapse of communism, the…
November 5, 2018
Populism, Liberalism, Democracy: A Book Launch Celebration
ABOUT THE EVENT A populist and illiberal tide is gaining strength across the globe, posing a serious threat to liberal democracy. Prominent political scientists and commentators William A. Galston and Yascha Mounk discussed the factors fueling populism’s rise and how democracies can effectively respond. Both Galston and Mounk have written articles addressing these questions that appear in the April…
April 3, 2018
The Signs of Democratic Deconsolidation
In many parts of the world, democracy seems to be under threat. Populism is on the rise, as is public dissatisfaction with such key features of liberal democracy as political parties, representative institutions, and minority rights. Even in the long-established democratic regimes of Western Europe and the United States, attachment to democracy is weakening, particularly…
January 10, 2017