Author: Christopher Walker | Journal of Democracy

Christopher Walker is vice-president for studies and analysis at the National Endowment for Democracy. He is coeditor with Larry Diamond and Marc F. Plattner of Authoritarianism Goes Global: The Challenge to Democracy (2016), and coeditor of the report Sharp Power: Rising Authoritarian Influence (2017).

Articles by Christopher Walker:

January 2020, Volume 31, Issue 1

The Cutting Edge of Sharp Power

Democratic societies must address the spread of technology developed in authoritarian settings while continuing to uphold democratic norms.

April 2019, Volume 30, Issue 2

The Era of Manipulation

Christopher Walker

A review of The People vs. Tech: How the Internet Is Killing Democracy (and How We Save It) by Jamie Bartlett.

July 2018, Volume 29, Issue 3

What Is “Sharp Power”?

Christopher Walker

Today’s authoritarians are using “sharp power” to project their influence internationally, with the objective of limiting free expression, spreading confusion, and distorting the political environment within democracies.

January 2018, Volume 29, Issue 1

The Rise of Kleptocracy: A Challenge for Democracy

As explained in the essays that follow, kleptocracy has become a potent threat to the integrity of democracy around the globe.

January 2016, Volume 27, Issue 1

The Authoritarian Threat: The Hijacking of “Soft Power”

Christopher Walker

Although the leading authoritarian regimes are today integrated in many ways into the global system, they have not become more like the democracies; instead, they have been devising policies and practices aimed at blocking democracy’s advance.

January 2014, Volume 25, Issue 1

Breaking the News: The Role of State-Run Media

“New media” may generate a lot of buzz, but authoritarian regimes are proving disturbingly adept both at counteracting them and at using more traditional media to help themselves hang on to power.

October 2012, Volume 23, Issue 4

School for Dictators

Christopher Walker

A review of The Dictator’s Learning Curve: Inside the Global Battle for Democracy by William J. Dobson

Books:

Authoritarianism Goes Global: The Challenge to Democracy

In recent years, as leading authoritarian countries such as China, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela have become emboldened within the global arena, challenging the liberal international political order, the advanced democracies have retreated rather than responding to this threat.