Democracy in Retrograde pdf download

Orbán Is Isolating Hungary from the World

• Sándor Ésik

The Hungarian leader appears to be working overtime at fraying the country’s ties with even its longstanding friends and allies — and the strain is beginning to show.

Why Taiwan’s Voters Defied Beijing—Again

• Raymond Kuo

Taiwan’s voters rewarded the ruling party with an unprecedented third consecutive term, despite the mainland’s attempts to intimidate. Expect Beijing to find new ways to threaten the democracy off its coast.

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.

Who Is the Real Javier Milei?

• Daniel Torres Checa

He is rude, foul-mouthed, and one of the most popular politicians in the world. Like it or not, Argentina’s chainsaw-wielding president is the new face of populism.

How Democracy Can Win Out in Sudan

• Sharan Grewal

The country just got a new chance to restore its democratic transition. Here’s how they can ensure that Sudan stays on the right path.

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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.

The Man Who Stood Up to Vladimir Putin

• Lucian Kim

It is almost a year since the death of Alexei Navalny. The Russian opposition leader sought to channel Russian nationalism as a challenge to Putin’s autocracy. He gave everything in the fight.

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Putin’s Formula for Ruling Russia Is Failing

• Robert Person

The Russian autocrat’s system of control has rested on pillars that are beginning to crumble.

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.

Georgia’s Battle for Freedom

• Ghia Nodia

Georgians have returned to the streets to fight for their country’s future. They refuse to let it slip quietly into the autocracy the ruling party seeks.

A Dangerous Façade

• Agneska Bloch

Marine Le Pen has remade her image to obscure her far-right populism. There is a real risk French voters won’t see through it.

Beijing Wants to Erase Tibet’s Name. Don’t Let Them.

• Tenzin Dorjee
• James Leibold

The Chinese Communist Party is attempting to rename the Tibetan people’s homeland, part of a wider effort to eradicate Tibet’s cultural identity. For Tibet, it’s more than just a name.

Tunisia’s Insecure Strongman

• Nate Grubman

Kais Saied is claiming a landslide election win. The truth is he was never willing to face a real competition. Just how insecure he feels will likely determine how much more repressive he will become.

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.

Is Erdoğan on His Way Out?

• Philip Balboni

The Turkish president came to power as an antiestablishment everyman. Twenty years later he is an authoritarian leader clinging to power. Will the forces that catapulted him to power be his demise?

Is This the Beginning of Maduro’s End?

• Alejandro Tarre

The Venezuelan strongman is attempting to steal the country’s presidential election and daring the people to stop him. But even if military leaders are backing him, Maduro is already weaker than he appears.

The Pitfalls of Power Sharing

• Alexander Noyes

People are calling for a so-called unity government to stem the violence in Mozambique. But there is a better way to set the country on the right course.

Putin Just Learned Why You Don’t Trust Mercenaries

• Zoltan Barany

The Russian autocrat forgot an age-old truth about working with common criminals and soldiers for hire.