July 2019, Volume 30, Issue 3
The Rise of an “Outsider” President
A comic actor’s triumph in Ukraine’s free and competitive 2019 presidential race reflects distrust of establishment elites and a deep desire for change.
2135 Results
Electoral Reform Society charter 2025 'good governance charter'
October 2017, Volume 28, Issue 4
Iran’s 2017 Election: Waning Democratic Hopes
Wrongly viewed by many media sources as a victory for “reform” and “openness,” the recent presidential election in Iran actually reflected the demoralization and disengagement of the country’s prodemocratic opposition.
January 2013, Volume 24, Issue 1
China at the Tipping Point? Top-Level Reform or Bottom-Up Revolution?
There are two sharply contrasting and controversial perspectives on China’s near- to medium-term future: top-level reform and bottom-up revolution.
January 2004, Volume 15, Issue 1
Advanced Democracies and the New Politics
The advanced democracies are shifting from a reliance on representation toward a mixed repertoire that includes greater reliance on “direct” and “advocacy” democracy, creating new problems that will require new solutions.
January 2009, Volume 20, Issue 1
Debating the Color Revolutions: What Are We Trying to Explain?
Change may be caused more by the frailty of the regime than the strength of the opposition, but in such cases the outcome is often less democratic.
October 2004, Volume 15, Issue 4
Stolen Elections: The Case of the Serbian October
Slobodan Milošević fell in the fall of 2000 after he tried to pervert national election results. He had tampered with elections before and survived. What made 2000 different, and what are the lessons to be learned from it?
January 2006, Volume 17, Issue 1
Election Watch
Reports on elections in Afghanistan, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Chile, Egypt, Gabon, Haiti, Honduras, Kazakhstan, Liberia, Poland, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and Venezuela.
July 1997, Volume 8, Issue 3
Documents on Democracy
Excerpts from: the acceptance speech of Martin Lee, Democracy Award recipient; Saudi prince Talal Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saoud’s opening address at the Second Conference of Arab NGOs; Angolan National Assembly chairman Roberto de Almeida’s speech; Czech president Václav Havel’s statement.
July 2021, Volume 32, Issue 3
The Future of Platform Power: Making Middleware Work
Bringing middleware from theory to practice will require addressing thorny questions about revenue, cost, feasibility, and privacy.
January 2017, Volume 28, Issue 1
Election Watch
Reports on elections in Belarus, Bulgaria, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Georgia, Haiti, Kuwait, Jordan, Lithuania, Montenegro, Morocco, Nicaragua, Palau, Russia, Uzbekistan.
October 2020, Volume 31, Issue 4
Covid vs. Democracy: India’s Illiberal Remedy
India’s covid-19 response has accelerated the country’s slide toward competitive authoritarian rule by centralizing decision making, undermining federalism, and providing new pretexts for stifling dissent.
For Xi Jinping, the Economy Is No Longer the Priority
By Guoguang Wu | Beijing’s focus has been on strong and steady economic growth for decades. But China’s leader has just put an end to that era. For Xi, it’s only about power—at home and abroad.
What It Takes to Win the New Cold War with China
Our struggle against the Soviet Union offers vital lessons for how to confront the aggressive totalitarian threat that Beijing now represents. | Carl Gershman
The Top Ten Most-Read Essays of 2021
In 2021, democracy’s fortunes were tested, and a tumultuous world became even more turbulent. Democratic setbacks arose in places as far flung as Burma, El Salvador, Tunisia, and Sudan, and a 20-year experiment in Afghanistan collapsed in days. The world’s democracies were beset by rising polarization, and people watched in shock as an insurrection took…
April 2008, Volume 19, Issue 2
Election Watch
Reports on elections in Armenia, Barbados, Belize, Bhutan, Croatia, Djibouti, Georgia, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, South Korea, Serbia, Taiwan, and Thailand.
April 2001, Volume 12, Issue 2
Election Watch
Reports on elections in Benin, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Moldova, Samoa, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, and Yugoslavia (Serbia).
January 1999, Volume 10, Issue 1
Election Watch
Reports on elections in Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Czech Republic, Gabon, Latvia, Macedonia, Slovakia, Taiwan, and Venezuela.
Winter 1991, Volume 2, Issue 1
Election Watch
Reports on elections in Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Gabon, Guatemala, Malaysia, Pakistan, Poland, USSR-Georgia, and Yugoslavia.
January 2014, Volume 25, Issue 1
Election Watch
Reports on elections in Argentina, Azerbaijan, Cameroon, Chile, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Guinea, Honduras, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritania, Nepal, Rwanda, Swaziland, and Tajikistan.
October 2011, Volume 22, Issue 4
Election Watch
Reports on elections in Cape Verde, Macedonia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Singapore, Thailand, and Turkey.