Why Burma’s Democratic Forces Are Winning
Burma’s democratic resistance has made impressive gains against the country’s corrupt junta. But they need help from the world’s democracies if they are to succeed and create an enduring peace.
2032 Results
Miami Times Black Wall Street March 11 2025 article opening quote
What Burkina Faso’s Tragic History Teaches Us
Ten years after the revolution, the lessons for protecting a budding democracy and guarding against violent extremism are clear.
New JoD podcast discusses fresh take on the “third wave”
Jorgen Møller and Svend-Eric Skaaning discuss their latest JoD article, "The Third Wave: Inside the Numbers."
November 20, 2013
The Elections That Mattered Most in 2024
The “year of elections” is entering its final stretch, and the contests of 2024 have run the gamut. We saw landslides, charades, and — in democratic and authoritarian settings alike — a fair number of surprises. What were the most significant elections of the year so far?
Larry Diamond’s Greatest Hits
Larry Diamond, the leading scholar of democracy, helped to found the Journal of Democracy more than 32 years ago. “Democracy’s Arc: From Resurgent to Imperiled,” published on the eve of the war in Ukraine, was his final essay as our coeditor. But Larry penned numerous pieces for the Journal. Ten of these landmark essays are…
Can Mexico’s Next President Control the Military?
The Mexican military has a larger role governing the country than at any time in the past eighty years. The following Journal of Democracy essays uncover and analyze the democratic and antidemocratic forces at work within Mexico’s institutions.
Maduro Can Only Rule Through Fear and Terror
Venezuela’s opposition defeated Nicolás Maduro in the country’s July presidential election, but the Venezuelan strongman refuses to relinquish power. The Journal of Democracy essays below, free for a limited time, chronicle Venezuela’s struggle against Maduro’s authoritarianism — and what makes this election different.
Election Results—October and November 2023
Reports on elections in Argentina, Ecuador, Gibraltar, Liberia, Luxembourg, Madagascar, New Zealand, Oman, Poland, and Switzerland.
Is Bitcoin Good for Democracy?
Bitcoin is an indispensable tool for political dissidents in the most repressive environments, argue Alex Gladstein and Félix Maradiaga in two recent Journal of Democracy online exclusives. When dictators weaponize the financial system and obstruct all avenues of dissent, digital currency helps activists keep their operations running.
Believe Nothing Putin or Prigozhin Tell You
In the days ahead, the West must remain calm—and redouble its support for Ukraine.
What Are Foreign-Agent Laws? And Why Georgia Has Erupted in Protest.
On Tuesday, Georgia’s Parliament passed a controversial new law that would brand NGOs and media organizations receiving foreign funding as “foreign agents.” Countries across the globe are following the Russian model and painting liberal-democratic values as malign foreign interference. Read about the strategies autocrats are devising to repress civil society and stifle dissent.
Latin America’s Crime Crisis
Organized criminal groups in Latin America have money, firepower, and a stranglehold on political life — making them incredibly difficult to defeat. How can countries in the region curb the violence and revive democracy?
Mexico’s Democratic Disaster
Mexico’s president recently signed into law a series of reforms that bulldoze the country’s judicial system and eviscerate democratic checks on executive power. Amrit Singh and Gianmarco Coronado Graci explain why this is even worse than it seems.
How the World Stands Up to Putin
His military didn’t just fail. Ordinary Ukrainians, Russians, and people across the globe are creatively and nonviolently protesting Putin’s war on Ukraine, and they are making a difference.
Cómo los dictadores usan la represión financiera contra sus oponentes
Coartar la libertad económica es uno de los primeros objetivos de un tirano. Mi familia y yo hemos experimentado esto de primera mano. Sin embargo, herramientas como Bitcoin ofrecen una esperanza a los activistas que luchan contra los estados represivos.
The Economist cites the JoD
The Economist cited Charles H. Fairbanks, Jr., and Alexi Gugushvili’s Journal of Democracy article on Georgia’s 2012 parliamentary elections.
January 23, 2013
Nathaniel Persily’s article on democracy and the Internet profiled in the WaPo
The Washington Post’s Dan Balz surveys Persily’s analysis, published in the April 2017 Journal of Democracy, of how groundbreaking shifts in the sphere of online media and communications are affecting the political environment.
April 25, 2017