Does populism really threaten democracy?
Marine Le Pen’s far-right political party is looking to deepen its ties to a nascent pan-European populist movement in the run-up to next year’s European Parliament elections, The Financial Times… Read more »
Category: Authoritarianism
Russian disinformation ‘a major concern’: voter confidence in democratic process ‘taking a hit’
Russia Today, the Kremlin’s English language news network, is a “major concern”, the UK’s culture secretary said today, while calling on public broadcasters to defend democracy in the face of… Read more »
Can Ethiopia’s new leader change it from the inside out?
The number of people detained over the deadly violence which broke out near Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, on Saturday has risen to 200, BBC News reports (HT: FDD). After taking… Read more »
What’s at stake in Poland’s democracy
Poland’s right-wing government has the chance to explain itself to its European Union peers on Tuesday for the second time in three months amid concern over changes to the judiciary… Read more »
How to fight populism? ‘The Renewal of Representation’
“The best response to populism is not to attack it. Instead, efforts should be made to improve the quality, transparency and functioning of democratic institutions, which would, in turn, address… Read more »
Russia and the West fighting a ‘disinformation-age battle’
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis accused Russia on Monday of attempting to influence the outcome of a referendum in Macedonia on changing the country’s name that would open the way… Read more »
Advancing or retarding democracy? Soft power is out; sharp power is in
Authoritarian states are attempting to exert influence through sharp power, which typically stems from ideologies that privilege state power over individual liberty and are fundamentally hostile to open debate and independent… Read more »
Illiberal democracy – liberalism vs. democracy?
“[W]hat, in practice, can the idea of democracy possibly mean?” political scientist James Miller asks in Can Democracy Work? A Short History of a Radical Idea, From Ancient Athens to Our World. Miller begins… Read more »
Will democracy win? Liberalism vs. its adversaries
The past century has been marked by repeated proclamations of the triumph of democracy. However, they have proved premature. Today, illiberal actors have once more gained footholds on both sides… Read more »
A manifesto for renewing liberal democracy
It is time for a liberal reinvention, according to The Economist, which advocates “a liberal revival—a liberalism for the people,” echoing similar calls for democratic renewal. In one flavor or… Read more »