2019 USDOJ USDA public service award recipient

How Serbian Students Created the Largest Protest Movement in Decades

• Breza Race Maksimovic
• Srdja Popovic

They have been smart, creative, leaderless, and transparent. And they aren’t targeting any one politician or party. They aim to change the entire system.

Why Pakistan Always Seems on the Brink of Collapse

• Ahsan I. Butt

The military has spent decades trying to impose order on Pakistani politics. It has led to chaos.

Can Mexico’s Next President Control the Military?

• Will Freeman

The country’s military brass has a larger role governing Mexico than at any time in the past eighty years. It’s creating a dangerous dependency that won’t be easy to break. Can the generals be reined in? 

Benny Tai on Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement and the Legacy of Tiananmen

Hong Kong law professor Benny Tai, who on April 24 received a sixteen-month prison sentence in connection with his role in the 2014 Occupy Central movement, reflected in the April 2019 Journal on the significance of the Tiananmen Square protests for Hong Kong’s democrats. Read a shortened version of his essay at the Diplomat.

May 1, 2019

After a Wave of Protests, China’s Silent Crackdown

• Sheena Chestnut Greitens

Nationwide protests against Xi Jinping’s zero-covid policy caught the Chinese Communist Party off-guard. Expect the Party’s security apparatus to strike back with quiet precision.

Why Women Are Leading the Fight in Iran

• Ladan Boroumand

Iran’s women were the Islamic Republic’s first target for repression. This is the newest chapter in their struggle to win back their rights.

Why Philippine Politics Resembles a Modern-Day Telenovela

• Cecilia Lero

Want to distract the public? Little works better than family feuds ripped from soap opera plotlines. That’s how the Marcos and Duterte clans keep people glued to the drama while crowding out democratic reform.

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.

Nobel Peace Prize honors Iran’s “Women, Life, Freedom” activists

The Journal of Democracy has covered the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement since the protests first erupted. Following is a selection of essays on the protests in Iran and the key role women play in securing democracy and freedom across the globe.

Why the French Strike

• Moshik Temkin

Why are the French protesting this time? Emmanuel Macron is imposing deeply unpopular reforms, and it’s one of the only ways left to check an arrogant and tone-deaf president.

Why Bolivia’s Election Matters So Much

• Jhanisse Vaca Daza

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.

A Dictator’s Day in Court

• Nate Grubman

Tunisia’s president is looking to strengthen his chokehold on the country.

How Zambia’s Cyber Laws Rebrand Repression

• Wiriranai Brilliant Masara

The hope was that President Hakainde Hichilema would bring much-needed reform and openness. Instead, he has ushered in new laws that are silencing dissent and free expression.

Kazakhstan Rules with Empty Words and an Iron Fist

• Paolo Sorbello

Thousands took to the streets to protest. While the regime promises to listen, its actions make clear: Dissent will not be tolerated.

Why Election Observers Are Human-Rights Defenders

• Gerardo de Icaza

Election observers are the first line of defense for democratic rights and freedoms, and they work in some of the most challenging places. They deserve the same protections as human-rights defenders.

Why History Is Repeating Itself in Thailand

• Wichuta Teeratanabodee
• Jeffrey N. Wasserstrom

Thai politics appears to be in a loop, with the military keeping people’s democratic hopes under wraps. But there is reason to believe the streets won’t be quiet for long.

Why Greece Failed

Putin’s Incredible Shrinking Victory Parade

• Olexiy Minakov

How does a Russian autocrat celebrate Victory Day while losing a war? Expect lies, myths, and propaganda.

Why Indonesia’s Democracy Is in Danger

• Thomas B. Pepinsky

Indonesian voters have made Prabowo Subianto, a special-forces commander with a dark past, their next president. Even as voters flocked to the polls, his election is a harbinger of democracy’s decline.

The Empty Promise of Iran’s New President

• Ladan Boroumand

Masoud Pezeshkian won’t be a “reformer” in any genuine sense. Like all Iranian presidents, he has pledged his loyalty to Iran’s supreme leader. What he really offers is a softer version of Iran’s grim repression.