How Repression (and Protest) Gets Repeated
We can learn a lot about the crackdown in Hong Kong if we compare it to Thailand—and vice versa. Autocrats and activists are learning from each other in real time.
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Democracy in Retrograde pdf download
Why Iran Is Entering a Dangerous Moment
The country’s recent elections revealed deep fissures in Iranian society and there is already growing disillusionment with the new president. With mounting economic worries, Iran is in a volatile state.
Why Putin’s Days Are Numbered
The system that Russia’s autocrat built wasn’t designed to survive the pressures it is now facing.
How Dictators Use Sports to Win Friends and Influence People
Authoritarians are developing new tools to project their malign influence across the globe. The world of sports can teach us a lot about the games they play.
How Maduro Survived
The Venezuelan dictator defied sanctions, international isolation, and massive protests. He appears to have a firmer footing than he’s had in years. Now what?
Why Bolivia Voted for Change—And Continuity
The election of Rodrigo Paz Pereira as Bolivia’s new president signals the end of the MAS era. But it is more than an end to Evo Morales’s leftist party. It showcases how Indigenous political power has transformed the country’s political landscape.
How Autocrats Peddle Their Influence and Launder Their Reputations
Determined to project their influence abroad, authoritarian regimes are subverting international rules and norms while disguising their misdeeds. The easiest way to do this? Convince the world they are benign, upstanding members of the international community.
What Is Autocratic Reform-Washing?
After years of increasingly authoritarian rule, Tanzanian president Samia Suluhu Hassan was hailed as a democratic reformer. But as Dan Paget and Aikande Clement Kwayu write in the July issue of the JoD, the president is more performer than reformer, relying on theatrics to delay real reform while sharpening her tools of repression.
Alexei Navalny, In His Own Words
“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.”
Orbán Is Isolating Hungary from the World
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
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
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?
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
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.
Putin’s Incredible Shrinking Victory Parade
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
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.
Putin’s Formula for Ruling Russia Is Failing
The Russian autocrat’s system of control has rested on pillars that are beginning to crumble.
Why Georgia’s Democracy Is Collapsing
The ruling party is growing more repressive as it draws from Vladimir Putin’s playbook. If the opposition is to push back successfully, they must first unify.
How Dictators Use Financial Repression Against Their Opponents
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.