Why Don’t Voters Care About Local Government?
National politics is increasingly overshadowing everything else, even as local government does more and more. Here’s how to right the balance. | By Eguiar Lizundia and Utpal Misra
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why is trump a zionist after being elected
April 2025, Volume 36, Issue 2
Beyond Performance: Why Leaders Still Matter
Delivery matters, but so do leaders’ actions. Why have so many, in both strong and weak economies, been pushing against democratic constraints on their power, and why have those constraints failed to contain them?
April 2022, Volume 33, Issue 2
China’s Tech-Enhanced Authoritarianism
The same technologies that are making traffic flow faster, cities run better, and ad-targeting more precise are also helping authoritarian governments to crush protests, hunt dissidents, and control their populations.
Why History Is Repeating Itself in Thailand
Thai politics appears to be in a loop, with the military keeping people’s democratic hopes under wraps. But there is reason to believe the streets won’t be quiet for long.
The Rise of Political Violence in the United States
The attack on Donald Trump is one of the worst instances of political violence in recent years. Such violence is the result of a moment in which people begin to see their political opponents as enemies instead of citizens of a different political stripe.
The Empty Promise of Iran’s New President
Masoud Pezeshkian won’t be a “reformer” in any genuine sense. Like all Iranian presidents, he has pledged his loyalty to Iran’s supreme leader. What he really offers is a softer version of Iran’s grim repression.
January 2013, Volume 24, Issue 1
Building Democratic Militaries
A review of The Soldier and the Changing State: Building Democratic Armies in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas by Zoltan Barany.
October 2003, Volume 14, Issue 4
Election Watch
Reports on elections in Cambodia, Jordan, Kuwait, Mexico, and Rwanda.
Is Germany Headed to a Political Crisis?
After losing a confidence vote and triggering snap elections, can Olaf Scholz lead mainstream parties back to power, or will more radical forces prevail?
October 2002, Volume 13, Issue 4
Dark Days in Belarus
Why did Belarusians return dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka to power in September 2001? Could a better-managed opposition campaign have made a difference?
April 2007, Volume 18, Issue 2
Seymour Martin Lipset (1922–2006)
A tribute in remembrance of the life of Seymour Martin Lipset (1922–2006).
January 2014, Volume 25, Issue 1
The Legacies of 1989: The Transformative Power of Europe Revisited
Improving governance in the EU’s new member states remains a huge challenge for the European project. Why has the EU succeeded in promoting democracy among its postcommunist members but failed in promoting good governance?
Viktor Orbán’s Newest Tool for Crushing Dissent
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.
April 2000, Volume 11, Issue 2
Election Watch
Reports on elections in Chile, Croatia, Dominica, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Mozambique, Russia, Senegal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
April 1993, Volume 4, Issue 2
Election Watch
Reports on elections in Cyprus, Djibouti, Ghana, Kenya, Lithuania, Madagascar, Niger, Senegal, South Korea, Taiwan, Yugoslavia.
Can Bolivia Ever Escape the Coup Trap?
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?
Spring 1990, Volume 1, Issue 2
Documents on Democracy
Excerpts from: the victory speech of Nicaraguan presidential candidate Violeta Barrios de Chamorro; South African president F.W. de Klerk’s speech opening Parliament; the platform of Lithuania’s pro-independence Sajudis movement.
Why Vladimir Kara-Murza Gave Up His Freedom
The Russian dissident journalist and activist knew if he returned to Russia he would be imprisoned or worse. But he was plagued by one question that compelled him to go.
January 2003, Volume 14, Issue 1
Documents on Democracy
Excerpts from: “A Republican Manifesto: A Model for Overcoming Iran’s Political Deadlock” by Iranian investigative journalist Akbar Ganji; opening remarks and acceptance speeches from the fifteenth annual W. Averell Harriman Democracy Awards; “Community of Democracies statement on Terrorism.”
July 2002, Volume 13, Issue 3
Election Watch
Reports on elections in Algeria, Bahamas, Burkina Faso, Chad, Colombia, the Comoros, Congo-Brazzaville, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Hungary, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mali, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Ukraine, Vanuatu, and Zimbabwe.