Section: Article

July 1998, Volume 9, Issue 3

India Defies the Odds: Enduring Another Election

Indians appear to love the practice of democracy so much that they are in danger of overdoing it. In February and March of 1998, the world's largest democracy held its twelfth general election since gaining its independence a half-century ago. The voting was largely fair and peaceful. New, right-of-center rulers led by the Bharatiya Janata…

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April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2

Democracy’s Troubles Should Be No Surprise

Democracy’s present difficulties were predictable. History and older theories of democratic stability should have prepared us for both democratic backsliding and the vulnerability of Western democracy we are experiencing today.

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April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2

Why Elected Leaders Subvert Democracy

Today, the principal challenge to democracy is coming not from coups but from democratic erosion driven by elected leaders. What is behind this shift, and how can prodemocracy forces push back?

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April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2

How Courts Undermine Democracy

The judiciary is widely assumed to defend democracy. Yet in reality, even when independent of elected governments, courts can endanger democracy—sometimes by enabling executives and sometimes by aggressively fighting them.

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April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2

When Populism Can Be Good

Populism is too often treated as if it is all one thing. But what if populist politics and democratic backsliding didn’t have to go together? A closer look reveals two kinds of populism, one of which is less threatening to liberal democracy.

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April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2

How to Secure Venezuelan Democracy

Venezuela has a path to democracy, but it requires dismantling the old regime. María Corina Machado, the country’s true democratic leader, must signal her credibility as a moderate through a framework of transitional justice. It won’t be perfect justice, but it is Venezuela’s best hope.

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April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2

Pluralism, Polarization, and Political Voyeurism

Decentralized governance allows communities to enact policies that reflect their values. But in the digital age, when news spreads far and fast, what’s happening in one place may inflame citizens’ attitudes thousands of miles away, magnifying political differences and division.

April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2

Georgia: Between Democracy and Autocracy

Georgian society has long aspired to join the West, but the ruling party—led by the country’s richest man—is dragging the country closer to Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Georgians are still resisting, but can they halt their country’s authoritarian slide?

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April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2

Honduras’s Missed Opportunity

An opposition party that swept into power with a 2021 electoral win was swept out by voters four years later. It failed to deliver on its promises and was beset by the same authoritarian leanings of those it had replaced.

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April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2

Pakistan’s New Military Tutelage

The military has long had the final say in Pakistani politics. In response to Imran Khan’s populist surge, the military adapted, making use of selective repression and writing its control more deeply into the country’s institutions.

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April 2026, Volume 37, Issue 2

Why We Elect Former Dictators and Their Children

Over the last half-century, a surprising share of new democracies have put their former dictators, or the children of those dictators, back in power. What explains the electoral success of these “dictocrats” and “dictobrats”?