May’s Most-Read Essays
Putin’s war on Ukraine, AI’s threat to democracy, and democracy’s crisis of confidence have been at the forefront of readers’ minds this month. Read May’s top 10 essays for free now!
1916 Results
Putin’s war on Ukraine, AI’s threat to democracy, and democracy’s crisis of confidence have been at the forefront of readers’ minds this month. Read May’s top 10 essays for free now!
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.
Ecuador’s presidents have a history of asking the public to back their initiatives rather than building political coalitions to accomplish their goals. The country’s current president is no different — and it comes at a high cost.
“Every opportunity must be used to speak out . . . I love Russia. My intellect tells me that it is better to live in a free and prosperous country than in a corrupt and impoverished one.”
She was just elected Mexico’s first woman president in a landslide. The future of Mexico’s democracy rests on whether she can break from her predecessor’s ways and carve her own democratic path.
The small South American country has become a strategic foothold for authoritarian powers. Its election is hugely important for the future of democracy across the region.
Herbert Kickl and his far-right allies have never hidden their contempt for democratic norms, and they are rising in the polls. But those who want to preserve Austria’s democracy may have one last chance.
What the opposition did and how ErdoÄźan managed to escape outright defeat.
The world’s liberal democracies are deeply polarized. Here’s how we could help rebuild the political center.
Many derided it as naĂŻve idealism, but the vision undergirding the Freedom Agenda offers lessons for the biggest global tests of our time.
Russia’s autocrat may be weakened, but his grip on power is greater than many people realize.
A string of Kremlin-backed military coups have brought a collection of juntas to power. The West should resist calls to placate them, and instead stick to its values and push for a return to civilian rule.
Looming “catastrophe” must not be used to justify authoritarianism. Solutions premised on unchecked power would bring their own risks of catastrophe.
Thailand’s voters—especially its young people—have sent the country’s junta a message: They want change now. But will the military listen?
Iranians are once again flooding the streets in protest. How is this wave of demonstrations different?
Trump and Putin’s meeting in Alaska underscored how they see the world in the same way, while highlighting the deepening divisions that are weakening the Western democratic alliance.
Mikhail Gorbachev risked everything. Neither Russia nor the West could live up to his vision.
Reports on elections in Belgium, Bulgaria, the European Union, France, Iran, Mauritania, Mongolia, San Marino, and the United Kingdom.
The French president made a big bet, and the far right lost.
Tunisia’s president is looking to strengthen his chokehold on the country.