Transition in China? More Likely Than You Think
Evidence from social science and history suggests that China is entering a “transition zone” that will threaten its capacity to maintain both authoritarian rule and high levels of economic growth.
October 2016
Volume 27, Issue 4
The Specter Haunting Europe
The Specter Haunting Europe: Distinguishing Liberal Democracy’s Challengers
Liberal democracy in Europe today is under siege from a variety of political forces, but it is critical to recognize the distinctions among them.
The Specter Haunting Europe: Will the German Center Hold?
Europe’s democratic stability hinges on Germany, but a far-right challenger is on the rise. Can the country’s long-dominant centrist parties hold on?
The Specter Haunting Europe: “Heritage Populism” and France’s National Front
Once a protest party, the right-wing National Front has sought to recast itself for electoral success. How will Marine Le Pen fare in the 2017 presidential race?
The Specter Haunting Europe: Populism and Protest in Poland
Once the poster child for successful postcommunist transitions to democracy, Poland is now governed by populist nationalists. What happened?
The Specter Haunting Europe: The Lost Left
Post-1945 Western Europe benefited greatly from center-left parties offering real solutions to real problems. Where has that left gone?
The Specter Haunting Europe: Surging Illiberalism in the East
The crisis of liberal democracy is Europe-wide, but it has assumed an especially intense form in Central and Eastern Europe.
The Specter Haunting Europe: The Unraveling of the Post-1989 Order
What some had thought would be the “end of history” has instead turned out to be the “new world disorder.” Democratic liberalism may have no new ideological rival, but older identities are powerfully reasserting themselves.
Tunisia: Ennahda’s New Course
Tunisia is a small country, but its influential Islamist party has taken a big step by separating its political wing from its religious activities.
Iraq’s Year of Rage
Iraqis of all ethnic and sectarian stripes are fed up with the ineptitude and corruption of their political leaders, parties, and government institutions.
The Vote in the Philippines
The Vote in the Philippines: Electing A Strongman
The surprise victory of Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines’ May 2016 presidential election represents a major shift in the liberal-democratic regime established thirty years ago after the “people power” revolution.
The Vote in the Philippines: Elite Democracy Disrupted?
Duterte promised voters that he would swiftly reduce crime and poverty and enact constitutional change. But will he violate democratic norms and rule of law in the process?
Peru: A Close Win for Continuity
Peru’s economic boom is over and newly elected president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski faces a Congress dominated by opposition parties, putting him in a more precarious position than his predecessors.
When Dictators Die
What political consequences can we expect when aging dictators die while in power? A fifth of the world’s autocracies are facing such a possibility, but the evidence shows that this may not augur well for democracy.
Particularism’s Empire
A review of The Quest for Good Governance: How Societies Develop Control of Corruption by Alina Mungiu-Pippidi.
Election Watch
Reports on elections in Croatia, Gabon, Mongolia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, and Zambia.
Documents on Democracy
Excerpts from: the inauguration speech by Peruvian president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski; Ennahda party president Rachid Ghannouchi’s remarks on religion and state in Tunisia; inaugural award ceremony of the Darnal Award for Social Justice; Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte's inaugural address; Philippine senator Leila de Lima’s speech on extrajudicial killings.