Journal of Democracy
@jodemocracy.bsky.social
The Journal of Democracy: The smartest analysis on democracy and authoritarianism around the world. Reposts ≠ Endorsement. https://linkin.bio/jodemocracy
We have long assumed democracy and liberalism went hand in hand. But in truth there have always been tensions between them, and the rise of illiberal democracy cannot be ignored.
Democracy Without Liberalism? | Journal of Democracy
We have long assumed democracy and liberalism went hand in hand. But in truth there have always been tensions between them, and the rise of illiberal democracy cannot be ignored.
www.journalofdemocracy.org
November 15, 2025 at 6:08 PM
We have long assumed democracy and liberalism went hand in hand. But in truth there have always been tensions between them, and the rise of illiberal democracy cannot be ignored.
"Collecting information on dissidents…is something that even low-capacity states, if they have access to basic data-scraping and analysis tools, can do at scale."
The Golden Age of Transnational Repression | Journal of Democracy
Authoritarian regimes are targeting exiles and diaspora communities in more places than ever before. Activists, journalists, and regular people living abroad must watch their backs…
www.journalofdemocracy.org
November 15, 2025 at 4:30 PM
"Collecting information on dissidents…is something that even low-capacity states, if they have access to basic data-scraping and analysis tools, can do at scale."
The Cuban regime has created a narrative of victimhood as a smoke screen for its gross incompetence and corruption.
The Cuban Embargo Does Not Exist | Journal of Democracy
The Cuban regime has created a narrative of victimhood as a smoke screen for its gross incompetence and corruption. I should know. I once believed it, too.
www.journalofdemocracy.org
November 15, 2025 at 3:02 PM
The Cuban regime has created a narrative of victimhood as a smoke screen for its gross incompetence and corruption.
"Based on more than fifty recent peer-reviewed statistical analyses using large, global datasets…democracies are significantly better than authoritarian regimes at preventing early death."
What Democracy Does . . . And Does Not Do | Journal of Democracy
People are losing faith in democracy’s ability to deliver social progress. But are democracies better than autocracies at promoting economic growth, alleviating poverty, and creating healthier…
www.journalofdemocracy.org
November 14, 2025 at 9:16 PM
"Based on more than fifty recent peer-reviewed statistical analyses using large, global datasets…democracies are significantly better than authoritarian regimes at preventing early death."
"The Paz administration will likely seek civil society allies while deploying a policy of 'divide and rule' in order to contain dissent by playing organizations and their leaders against one another."
Why Bolivia Voted for Change—And Continuity | Journal of Democracy
The election of Rodrigo Paz Pereira as Bolivia’s new president signals the end of the MAS era. But it is more than an end to Evo Morales’s leftist party. It showcases how Indigenous political power…
www.journalofdemocracy.org
November 14, 2025 at 7:48 PM
"The Paz administration will likely seek civil society allies while deploying a policy of 'divide and rule' in order to contain dissent by playing organizations and their leaders against one another."
America’s promotion of democracy has always been highly imperfect. But the superiority of democracy—and the ideas that animate it—make it essential to securing America’s future.
Why Democracy Promotion Is as Vital as Ever | Journal of Democracy
America’s promotion of democracy has always been highly imperfect. But the superiority of democracy—and the ideas that animate it—make it essential to securing America’s future.
www.journalofdemocracy.org
November 14, 2025 at 6:22 PM
America’s promotion of democracy has always been highly imperfect. But the superiority of democracy—and the ideas that animate it—make it essential to securing America’s future.
María Corina Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize has made her the face of the struggle for democracy in Venezuela. But throughout the opposition, women are the backbone of the fight against Nicolás Maduro’s corrupt authoritarian regime.
Women Are Leading Venezuela’s Fight for Democracy | Journal of Democracy
María Corina Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize has made her the face of the struggle for democracy in Venezuela. But throughout the opposition, women are the backbone of the fight against Nicolás Maduro’s…
www.journalofdemocracy.org
November 14, 2025 at 4:58 PM
María Corina Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize has made her the face of the struggle for democracy in Venezuela. But throughout the opposition, women are the backbone of the fight against Nicolás Maduro’s corrupt authoritarian regime.
Cameroonians just reelected the 92-year-old Paul Biya in an election that voters rightly view with suspicion. The tensions under the surface don’t bode well for the country or its people.
Cameroon’s Election Casts a Long Shadow | Journal of Democracy
Cameroonians just reelected the 92-year-old Paul Biya in an election that voters rightly view with suspicion. The tensions under the surface don’t bode well for the country or its people.
www.journalofdemocracy.org
November 14, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Cameroonians just reelected the 92-year-old Paul Biya in an election that voters rightly view with suspicion. The tensions under the surface don’t bode well for the country or its people.
President Hassan sought to strongarm the country’s election, meting out repression, violence, and arrests to anyone who dares challenge her. Tanzanians have seen enough.
Has Tanzania Reached Its Breaking Point? | Journal of Democracy
President Hassan promised Tanzanians freedom, transparency, and reform. Instead, she has delivered repression, violence, and arrests as she bars anyone who dares challenge her.
www.journalofdemocracy.org
November 13, 2025 at 9:03 PM
President Hassan sought to strongarm the country’s election, meting out repression, violence, and arrests to anyone who dares challenge her. Tanzanians have seen enough.
Democracy activists use Bitcoin because the existing system is not working for them.
Why Bitcoin Is Freedom Money | Journal of Democracy
Today, governments can see who buys what, who pays whom, and who donates to which cause. But they cannot easily trace or confiscate Bitcoin. The digital currency offers a lifeline to democratic…
www.journalofdemocracy.org
November 13, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Democracy activists use Bitcoin because the existing system is not working for them.
"At this critical moment in Cameroon’s history...[the president] is fast losing the battle for legitimacy in the eyes of millions of Cameroonians and is visibly too feeble and disconnected to fully apprehend the danger of a total flagellation of the already fragile nation."
Cameroon’s Election Casts a Long Shadow | Journal of Democracy
Cameroonians just reelected the 92-year-old Paul Biya in an election that voters rightly view with suspicion. The tensions under the surface don’t bode well for the country or its people.
www.journalofdemocracy.org
November 13, 2025 at 6:12 PM
"At this critical moment in Cameroon’s history...[the president] is fast losing the battle for legitimacy in the eyes of millions of Cameroonians and is visibly too feeble and disconnected to fully apprehend the danger of a total flagellation of the already fragile nation."
"The conduct of this year’s polls and handling of the postelection crisis exposed undeniable flaws and weaknesses in Cameroonian society...tearing through the veil of cosmetic democratic experimentation that the current regime has shielded itself with for...four decades."
Cameroon’s Election Casts a Long Shadow | Journal of Democracy
Cameroonians just reelected the 92-year-old Paul Biya in an election that voters rightly view with suspicion. The tensions under the surface don’t bode well for the country or its people.
www.journalofdemocracy.org
November 13, 2025 at 4:30 PM
"The conduct of this year’s polls and handling of the postelection crisis exposed undeniable flaws and weaknesses in Cameroonian society...tearing through the veil of cosmetic democratic experimentation that the current regime has shielded itself with for...four decades."
"Millions of Cameroonians continue to contest the outcome and aspire to greater freedoms, more accountability, and genuine democracy — the likes of which have not been seen during this regime’s 43-year reign."
Cameroon’s Election Casts a Long Shadow | Journal of Democracy
Cameroonians just reelected the 92-year-old Paul Biya in an election that voters rightly view with suspicion. The tensions under the surface don’t bode well for the country or its people.
www.journalofdemocracy.org
November 13, 2025 at 3:25 PM
"Millions of Cameroonians continue to contest the outcome and aspire to greater freedoms, more accountability, and genuine democracy — the likes of which have not been seen during this regime’s 43-year reign."
Cameroonians just reelected the 92-year-old Paul Biya in an election that voters rightly view with suspicion. The tensions under the surface don’t bode well for the country or its people.
Cameroon’s Election Casts a Long Shadow | Journal of Democracy
Cameroonians just reelected the 92-year-old Paul Biya in an election that voters rightly view with suspicion. The tensions under the surface don’t bode well for the country or its people.
www.journalofdemocracy.org
November 12, 2025 at 10:24 PM
Cameroonians just reelected the 92-year-old Paul Biya in an election that voters rightly view with suspicion. The tensions under the surface don’t bode well for the country or its people.
Can a strong, independent supreme court serve as a guarantor of democracy? In Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico, judges are showing a surprising resolve in fending off their countries’ antidemocratic forces.
muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
November 12, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Can a strong, independent supreme court serve as a guarantor of democracy? In Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico, judges are showing a surprising resolve in fending off their countries’ antidemocratic forces.
muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
"Tanzania’s democracy, in her telling, is a civil and disciplined one, where the law comes before protest, administrative procedure before political rights, and decency before dissent."
Has Tanzania Reached Its Breaking Point? | Journal of Democracy
President Hassan promised Tanzanians freedom, transparency, and reform. Instead, she has delivered repression, violence, and arrests as she bars anyone who dares challenge her.
www.journalofdemocracy.org
November 12, 2025 at 8:30 PM
"Tanzania’s democracy, in her telling, is a civil and disciplined one, where the law comes before protest, administrative procedure before political rights, and decency before dissent."
We have long assumed democracy and liberalism went hand in hand. But in truth there have always been tensions between them, and the rise of illiberal democracy cannot be ignored.
Democracy Without Liberalism? | Journal of Democracy
We have long assumed democracy and liberalism went hand in hand. But in truth there have always been tensions between them, and the rise of illiberal democracy cannot be ignored.
www.journalofdemocracy.org
November 12, 2025 at 6:34 PM
We have long assumed democracy and liberalism went hand in hand. But in truth there have always been tensions between them, and the rise of illiberal democracy cannot be ignored.
The Cuban regime wants citizens to believe that the U.S. is starving Cuba. Actually, the regime is starving its own people.
The Cuban Embargo Does Not Exist | Journal of Democracy
The Cuban regime has created a narrative of victimhood as a smoke screen for its gross incompetence and corruption. I should know. I once believed it, too.
www.journalofdemocracy.org
November 12, 2025 at 5:30 PM
The Cuban regime wants citizens to believe that the U.S. is starving Cuba. Actually, the regime is starving its own people.
Nicolás Maduro is a mafia boss, not a president, and the Venezuelan government is now a criminal enterprise with the power of a state. It poses a threat to democracies everywhere.
How Venezuela Became a Gangster State | Journal of Democracy
Nicolás Maduro is a mafia boss, not a president, and the Venezuelan government is now a criminal enterprise with the power of a state. It poses a threat to democracies everywhere.
www.journalofdemocracy.org
November 12, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Nicolás Maduro is a mafia boss, not a president, and the Venezuelan government is now a criminal enterprise with the power of a state. It poses a threat to democracies everywhere.
The country’s young people are no longer willing to accept politics without accountability, and the government’s repressive crackdown is only fueling their movement. Gen Z is reshaping the future of Kenyan democracy.
Why Kenya’s Gen Z Has Taken to the Streets | Journal of Democracy
The country’s young people are no longer willing to accept politics without accountability, and the government’s repressive crackdown is only fueling their movement. Gen Z is reshaping the future of…
www.journalofdemocracy.org
November 11, 2025 at 7:46 PM
The country’s young people are no longer willing to accept politics without accountability, and the government’s repressive crackdown is only fueling their movement. Gen Z is reshaping the future of Kenyan democracy.
Today, governments can see who buys what, who pays whom, and who donates to which cause. But they cannot easily trace or confiscate Bitcoin. The digital currency offers a lifeline to democratic movements operating in the most repressive places.
Why Bitcoin Is Freedom Money | Journal of Democracy
Today, governments can see who buys what, who pays whom, and who donates to which cause. But they cannot easily trace or confiscate Bitcoin. The digital currency offers a lifeline to democratic…
www.journalofdemocracy.org
November 11, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Today, governments can see who buys what, who pays whom, and who donates to which cause. But they cannot easily trace or confiscate Bitcoin. The digital currency offers a lifeline to democratic movements operating in the most repressive places.
People are losing faith in democracy’s ability to deliver social progress. But are democracies better than autocracies at promoting economic growth, alleviating poverty, and creating healthier, more educated, and more peaceful societies? On all counts, the answer is yes.
What Democracy Does . . . And Does Not Do | Journal of Democracy
People are losing faith in democracy’s ability to deliver social progress. But are democracies better than autocracies at promoting economic growth, alleviating poverty, and creating healthier…
www.journalofdemocracy.org
November 11, 2025 at 4:30 PM
People are losing faith in democracy’s ability to deliver social progress. But are democracies better than autocracies at promoting economic growth, alleviating poverty, and creating healthier, more educated, and more peaceful societies? On all counts, the answer is yes.
Authoritarian regimes are targeting exiles and diaspora communities in more places than ever before. Activists, journalists, and regular people living abroad must watch their backs, because these governments now have the power to suppress dissent even outside their borders.
The Golden Age of Transnational Repression | Journal of Democracy
Authoritarian regimes are targeting exiles and diaspora communities in more places than ever before. Activists, journalists, and regular people living abroad must watch their backs…
www.journalofdemocracy.org
November 11, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Authoritarian regimes are targeting exiles and diaspora communities in more places than ever before. Activists, journalists, and regular people living abroad must watch their backs, because these governments now have the power to suppress dissent even outside their borders.
The hope was that President Hakainde Hichilema would bring much-needed reform and openness. Instead, he has ushered in new laws that are silencing dissent and free expression.
How Zambia’s Cyber Laws Rebrand Repression | Journal of Democracy
The hope was that President Hakainde Hichilema would bring much-needed reform and openness. Instead, he has ushered in new laws that are silencing dissent and free expression.
www.journalofdemocracy.org
November 11, 2025 at 1:41 PM
The hope was that President Hakainde Hichilema would bring much-needed reform and openness. Instead, he has ushered in new laws that are silencing dissent and free expression.
With illiberal forces ascendant across the globe, protecting individual liberties and the democratic process is crucial. But when institutions empower minority groups over the majority, can democracy survive?
When Should the Majority Rule? | Journal of Democracy
With illiberal forces ascendant across the globe, protecting individual liberties and the democratic process is crucial. But when institutions empower minority groups over the majority…
www.journalofdemocracy.org
November 10, 2025 at 7:36 PM
With illiberal forces ascendant across the globe, protecting individual liberties and the democratic process is crucial. But when institutions empower minority groups over the majority, can democracy survive?