Why Did Argentina Just Elect a Radical Right-Wing Political Outsider?

By choosing Javier Milei, Argentinian voters didn’t just reject the status quo. They have sent their country hurtling in an unknown direction. | Virginia Oliveros and Emilia Simison
October 2023, Volume 34, Issue 4

AI and Catastrophic Risk

  • Yoshua Bengio
AI with superhuman abilities could emerge within the next few years, and there is currently no guarantee that we will be able to control them. We must act now to protect democracy, human rights, and our very existence.
October 2023, Volume 34, Issue 4

How AI Threatens Democracy

  • Sarah Kreps
  • Doug Kriner
Generative AI can flood the media, internet, and even personal correspondence with misinformation—sowing confusion for voters and government officials alike. If we fail to act, mounting mistrust will polarize our societies and tear at our institutions.
October 2023, Volume 34, Issue 4

How Financial Secrecy Undermines Democracy

  • Charles G. Davidson
  • Ben Judah
An expansive underworld of hidden wealth lies beneath the everyday economy. This stealth network of tax havens, secret trusts, and offshore accounts is weakening democratic institutions and fueling our worst enemies.

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January 2022, Volume 33, Issue 1

The Collapse of Afghanistan

The Afghan republic’s destruction was sewn into its founding. The international community’s missteps are more responsible for its failure than the country’s supposedly endemic corruption.

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July 2022, Volume 33, Issue 3

How Viktor Orbán Wins

The case of Hungary shows how autocrats can rig elections legally, using legislative majorities to change the law and neutralize the opposition at every turn, no matter what strategy they adopt.

Latest Online Exclusives

The Return of Robert Fico | Tim Haughton and Darina Malová
The perennial Slovak politician practices a hardnosed, vengeful form of politics. It is also bad news for the future of Slovakian democracy.

Cracks in Sisi’s Façade | Waleed Shawky
Egypt’s upcoming presidential elections are a sham. But the opposition can still take advantage of this moment to push for genuine reforms that the country desperately needs.

How Guatemalans Are Defending Their Democracy | Manuel Meléndez-Sánchez and Laura Gamboa
They are organized, nonviolent, and they have come out in great numbers. Guatemalans may also be writing the script on how to defeat democracy’s enemies.

News & Updates

How to Fight an Autocrat

November 2023

Dictators seem all-powerful—until they’re not. Those brave enough to challenge autocrats have scored some impressive victories in recent months. But how did they do it? And how could other opposition movements succeed where they once failed?


Secret Wealth: A Threat to Democracy

November 2023

Elites across the globe are hiding their wealth—from both taxation and international scrutiny—in a shadowy realm made up of hidden accounts, disguised entities, and artificial trades. The following essays from the Journal of Democracy examine the challenge that these hidden financial networks pose to democracies and aspiring democracies around the world.


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The Rise of Political Violence in the United States

In a deeply polarized United States, ordinary people now consume and espouse once-radical ideas and are primed to commit violence.

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How Viktor Orbán Wins

The case of Hungary shows how autocrats can rig elections legally, using legislative majorities to change the law and neutralize the opposition at every turn, no matter what strategy they adopt.

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How Zelensky Has Changed Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelensky is far more than a brave wartime leader. He began changing the tenor and direction of Ukrainian politics long before the people made him their president.