Polishing Off Populism in Authoritarian Thailand

Can Democracy Recover After Autocracy?

How resilient are democracies, really? While many countries have gone from democratic to authoritarian and back again, few have been able to sustain their recovery. The following essays offer strategies for defending and deepening democracy around the world.

How Authoritarians Weaponize the Law

Authoritarians can manipulate the law to rationalize their rule, but the law can equally serve to check authoritarian power. The Journal of Democracy essays below explore the dynamics between leaders and the law. Read for free now.

What Kind of State Will Syria Become?

Syria is at a critical juncture. It’s up to the new government — and the people — to chart a more inclusive, transparent, and prosperous way forward. The Journal of Democracy essays below examine the challenges and opportunities Syria now faces.

Is Capitalism the Problem? Or the Solution?

A free market can foster pluralism and insulate civilians from authoritarian coercion. But money used the wrong way has enormous potential for destruction. The Journal of Democracy essays below, free for a limited time, explore the complex relationship between capitalism and democracy.

Inside Turkey’s Democratic Crisis

Turkish democracy is at a turning point: Will democratic forces be able to triumph at the ballot box in the next general election, or will the country devolve into full-blown authoritarianism?

Four Must-Reads from the July Issue!

The new issue of the Journal of Democracy grapples with the biggest challenges facing democracies of the past, present, and future. Don’t miss these four essays, free to read through July 31.

Can There Be Democracy Without Liberalism?

In a new online exclusive, Journal of Democracy cofounder Marc Plattner examines both what unites and distinguishes liberalism and democracy — and what liberal democracies must do to remain free.

Why Cuba’s Student Movement Is Rising

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.

New JoD Podcasts!

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

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.

How the Duterte Clan Is Remaking the Marcos Playbook

The May 2025 Philippine midterms are just the latest chapter in a yearslong feud between the Marcos and Duterte clans. These essays below plot the twists and turns of the political drama, and explain why it’s really a diversion from meaningful democratic reform.

Why Poland’s Liberals Lost

The following Journal of Democracy essays chronicle the rise, fall, and resurgence of illiberal populism in Poland, and what it means for the country’s democratic future.