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democracy vs authoritarian

The War in Ukraine: 7 Essential Reads

The Journal of Democracy has been covering the roots of Putin’s obsession with Ukraine for nearly 20 years. Here are 7 essential reads on the origins of the conflict, and what brought us to this dangerous moment.

Can Ukraine Regain Its Momentum?

Billions in much-needed American military aid are now headed for Ukraine. The following Journal of Democracy essays demonstrate what it will take to reverse the course of this war of attrition, and why this struggle is a “contest between democracy and dictatorship.”

The Viktor Orbán Show

Hungary’s prime minister has been jet-setting across the globe to hobnob with Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Donald Trump, while doing his best to provoke European leaders at home. But Orbán’s grandstanding, argues Hungarian writer Sándor Ésik in a new Journal of Democracy online exclusive, is really just an attempt to mask his growing political weaknesses.

Is Democracy a Crime in Hong Kong?

On November 19, a Hong Kong court sentenced 45 prominent prodemocracy activists to years in prison in the biggest crackdown yet under the city’s draconian, Beijing-imposed National Security Law. The Journal of Democracy essays below, free for a limited time, detail Hong Kong’s decades-long fight for freedom, and the CCP’s unrelenting repression.

6 More Days to Read the July Issue for Free

The latest issue of the Journal of Democracy covers important and alarming global trends, including political polarization and rising illiberalism, as well the struggle between autocrats and democrats in Africa, Latin America, South Asia, and beyond. Read it before it goes behind a paywall.

How We Can Fix Our Polarized Politics

The following essays from the Journal of Democracy examine the roots of the dangerous trend of polarization and offer ways to repair our politics and bring citizens back together.

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.

Tocqueville’s Lessons for America on the Fourth of July

Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America is as insightful today as in 1835. On this Fourth of July, the Journal of Democracy is sharing three essays reflecting on the prescience of Tocqueville’s observations from nearly two centuries ago.

How Maduro Stole Venezuela’s Vote

Today, President Nicolás Maduro will take the oath of office, despite a clear defeat in the July election. In the new issue of the Journal of Democracy, Javier Corrales and Dorothy Kronick explain how this came to pass.

The Perils of Kenya’s New Power-Sharing Deal

The Journal of Democracy essays below, free for a limited time, chart the trials and triumphs of Kenya’s democracy over the last two decades — plus key essays on the theory and practice of political power sharing.

“S.M. Lipset and the Fragility of Democracy”

"Seymour Martin Lipset passed away eleven years ago. . . . Today, his prolific scholarship remains as timely and influential as when he was an actively engaged author," writes Mildred A. Schwartz in a post for the blog of Oxford University Press on the enduring relevance of Seymour Martin Lipset. Read the whole tribute here.

April 4, 2017

Rod Alence and Anne Pitcher on South Africa’s elections

At the Washington Post’s Monkey Cage, read Alence and Pitcher’s take on South Africa’s 8 May 2019 national elections, and stay tuned for an expanded analysis in the October 2019 JoD. Plus, read Alence’s 2004 Journal article (free through May 31) for a deeper look into the history of South Africa’s democracy.