Sluicing on free choice ignorance sluice

Will the German Center Hold?

• Michael Bröning

Although Germans flooded the polls, the country is deeply polarized and politically fragmented. Germany’s centrists need to deliver on voters’ concerns. If they don’t, the far-right AfD is waiting in the wings.

Is TikTok a Threat to Democracy?

The popular social media app, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance and used by 170 million Americans, is raising national security questions about data privacy and malign foreign influence.

Our Favorite Books of 2023

New works on China, Russia, political philosophy, English history, and much more graced our shelves this year. Here are the JoD staff’s favorite books of the year.

The World Needs a Garage for Democracy

• Srdja Popovic
• Steve Parks

Vladimir Putin has become a one-stop shop for authoritarians around the world, providing them whatever they need to advance their cause. Democracy’s defenders don’t get the same support — but it’s time for that to change.

Ibrahim-17-3

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.

Kurzman-21-2

Why Iran Is Entering a Dangerous Moment

• Mohammad Ayatollahi Tabaar

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.

How Maduro Survived

• Will Freeman

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?

Viktor Orbán’s Newest Tool for Crushing Dissent

• Sándor Ésik

He has created a new office with massive investigatory powers that are vaguely defined and leave everyone on edge. In other words, it’s classic Orbán.

Why This Time Is Different for Venezuela

• Paola Bautista de Alemán

For years, the Venezuelan opposition has fought hard against a corrupt regime — and come up short. But this time, with four key ingredients in place, we are on the cusp of a historic victory.

After a Wave of Protests, China’s Silent Crackdown

• Sheena Chestnut Greitens

Nationwide protests against Xi Jinping’s zero-covid policy caught the Chinese Communist Party off-guard. Expect the Party’s security apparatus to strike back with quiet precision.

Is Central America Doomed?

• Mateo Jarquín
• Rachel A. Schwartz
• Kai M. Thaler

Of course not. But the region’s democratic hopes are fighting an uphill battle against corruption, crime, and a violent past.

Lipset Lecture: Minxin Pei examines China’s totalitarian legacies

On 3 December 2020, renowned China scholar Minxin Pei delivered the 17th Annual Lipset Lecture on Democracy in the World. Read his reflections on “Totalitarianism’s Long Shadow,” based on the lecture, in the April Journal.

Democracy’s Frontline Defenders

• Fernanda Buril
• Erica Shein

Across the globe, the people who run our elections are being undermined, targeted, and attacked. Here is how to shore them up—and protect democratic institutions, too.

Can Bolivia Ever Escape the Coup Trap?

• John Chin
• Joseph Wright

The South American country was once the most coup-prone in the world. Many thought it had closed that chapter. So why did it just suffer another attempted coup?

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.

10_26.2 hui pp. 111-121

“Facing Up to the Democratic Recession”

Why Putin’s Days Are Numbered

• Vladimir Milov

The system that Russia’s autocrat built wasn’t designed to survive the pressures it is now facing.