2019 USDOJ USDA public service award recipient

Why DeepSeek Is So Dangerous

• Valentin Weber

The Chinese Communist Party’s newest AI advance is making repression smarter, cheaper, and more deadly. Even worse, they aim to export it to the world.

‘Their Control Cannot Be Flawless’

What are the true lessons from Tiananmen Square? Why does nonviolent resistance offer the best chance of challenging the CCP? Hu Ping, a leading Chinese dissident, reflects on the mistakes that were made and what it will take to succeed next time.

The Quest for Good Governance: Learning from Virtuous Circles

German Voters Trigger a Political Earthquake

• Michael Bröning

The far-right AfD surged ahead in the European Union elections. It is now one of Germany’s dominant parties, and not just part of the fringe.

The Son Also Rises

• Richard Javad Heydarian

Many feared Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s election would spell the end of Philippine democracy. But the dictator’s son has surprised nearly everyone, playing the role of a reformer while moving fast to sideline his populist rivals.

Why Aspiring Autocrats Are Watching Serbia

• Filip Milačić

Aleksandar Vučić is tearing down what remains of Serbian democracy while the West remains silent. Serbia has become a test case for democratic resolve, and the region’s would-be strongmen are taking notice.

Inside Pakistan’s Deeply Flawed Election

• Ayesha Jalal

The country’s polls were marred by delayed results and charges of rigging. Worse, they might plunge Pakistan into an even deeper political crisis.

People Say Democracy Isn’t Working

• Joel Day

So, why don’t they want to fix it?

KnausandMartin

Is Democracy in Decline?

8.Alence pp.78-92

How Putin’s War in Ukraine Has Ruined Russia

• Kathryn Stoner

In a matter of weeks, the Russian autocrat has erased his country’s prosperity in a feckless attempt to rebuild a doomed empire.

How Dictators Use Financial Repression Against Their Opponents

• Félix Maradiaga

Economic freedom is one of a tyrant’s first targets. My family and I have experienced this firsthand. But tools like Bitcoin offer a lifeline for activists fighting repressive states.

Iraq’s Year of Rage

Latin America’s New Turbulence: Crisis and Integrity in Brazil

What the Freedom Agenda Can Still Teach Us

• Peter Feaver
• William Inboden

Many derided it as naïve idealism, but the vision undergirding the Freedom Agenda offers lessons for the biggest global tests of our time.

The Man Who Would Oust a Dynasty

• Marlon Ariyasinghe

A few years ago Anura Kumara Dissanayake led a struggling political party with bleak prospects. Now he is Sri Lanka’s newly elected president. The hardest work may still lie ahead.

The End of the Duterte Dynasty?

• Richard Javad Heydarian

The ICC arrest of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte is a shocking blow for the Duterte clan, and the Marcos family isn’t letting up. Is this the political last stand for the Dutertes?

The Rise of the Xi Jinping Era

China’s Twentieth Party Congress opened this week in Beijing. President Xi Jinping is widely expected to cement his position as Chinese Communist Party leader for an unprecedented third term.

Ashutosh Varshney’s Greatest Hits

With India’s next general election just a year away, here are five of his Journal of Democracy essays that offer critical analysis of the world’s largest democracy at a crucial time.