July 2025, Volume 36, Issue 3

Can Capitalism Save Democracy?

  • Semuhi Sinanoglu
  • Lucan A. Way
  • Steven Levitsky
Capitalism is often blamed for democracy’s ills. But much of the blame is misplaced. It is not business capture of the state but rather state capture of business that poses the greatest danger to democracy.
July 2025, Volume 36, Issue 3

The Islamic Republic’s War on Iranians

  • Ladan Boroumand
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

Democracy After Illiberalism: A Warning from Poland

  • Stanley Bill
  • Ben Stanley
Restoring liberalism after illiberalism is no easy task: Leaders face hard choices between acting quickly and effectively while maintaining a commitment to democratic procedure. Worse, their illiberal opponents stand to benefit either way.

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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

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

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

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?

Latest Online Exclusives

Why Cuba’s Student Movement Is Rising | Carolina Barrero
Cuba’s dictatorship has kept student movements under its thumb for decades. But the regime’s repressive tactics have inadvertently breathed new life into a new generation of student activists. These young people are willing to fight for the island’s freedom.

Why Russia’s Youth Don’t Support Putin’s War | Thomas Sherlock
The Kremlin works hard to indoctrinate Russia’s youth to support Putin’s war in Ukraine. But a strong percentage support an immediate ceasefire and don’t think it’s a cause worth dying for.

How the Duterte Clan Is Remaking the Marcos Playbook | Cecilia Lero
Strongman nostalgia, conspiracy theories, and lies. It’s a powerful blend that keeps populists in power. In the Philippines, political clans have weaponized these messages against each other.

News & Updates

New JoD Podcasts!

June 2025

The Journal of Democracy has partnered with the Review of Democracy podcast to share in-depth conversations with JoD authors on their latest essays. Listen, read, and learn!


Iran’s War on Iranians

June 2025

The escalating conflict between Iran and Israel now includes the United States, and fears are growing that it could become a regional war. But there’s another war that people aren’t talking about: the Islamic Republic’s brutal campaign against its own people.


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The New Competitive Authoritarianism

In recent years competitive authoritarianism has emerged in some countries with relatively strong democratic traditions and institutions.

How Dictators Use Sports to Win Friends and Influence People

Authoritarians are developing new tools to project their malign influence across the globe. The world of sports can teach us a lot about the games they play.

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What Putin Fears Most

Forget his excuses. Russia’s autocrat doesn’t worry about NATO. What terrifies him is the prospect of a flourishing Ukrainian democracy.

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Misunderstanding Democratic Backsliding

If democracies did a better job “delivering” for their citizens, so the thinking goes, people would not be so ready to embrace antidemocratic alternatives. Not so. This conventional wisdom about democratic backsliding is seldom true and often not accurate at…

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How AI Threatens Democracy

Generative AI can flood the media, internet, and even personal correspondence, sowing confusion for voters and government officials alike. If we fail to act, mounting mistrust will polarize our societies and tear at our institutions.