Why the West is losing the fight for democracy
The “politics of imitation” is a phrase that recurs innumerable times in The Light That Failed: Why the West Is Losing the Fight for Democracy by Ivan Krastev (above) and Stephen Holmes,… Read more »
Category: Europe
The Art of Deceit: How China and Russia’s sharp power subverts the West
For much of the last decade, China and Russia have been waging political warfare against the West – and we simply didn’t notice, says the co-editor of a new analysis…. Read more »
What went wrong in Central and Eastern Europe? A case for ‘pessoptimism’
There’s has been extensive and ongoing debate about “what went wrong in Central and Eastern Europe” and what explains its various forms of illiberalism and democratic decline. A variety of,… Read more »
How populism went mainstream
There is a specter haunting not just Europe, but the whole globe, quaking the boots of established political parties, legacy media outlets, and transnational institutions of government and civil society…. Read more »
As disinformation spreads, ‘microtargeting’ advertising tools may threaten democracy
As Facebook sought to recover from its disastrous 2016 election season, company officials debated ways to curb distortions and disinformation on the platform. One of the most potentially powerful… Read more »
Post-1989 structures need ‘remodeling, even democracy,’ says Walesa
Did Central Europe’s democratic forces defeat one form of authoritarianism, but fail to anticipate other threats to freedom? The post-Cold War disruption in job markets, economic inequities, and disputes over… Read more »
How global refugee crisis challenges democracies
Forced migration has reached unprecedented levels around the world. While unique migration crises’ geographic origins range from South America to the Middle East, each crisis shares a common root cause—the… Read more »
Can new social compact resolve tension between democratic recession and resilience?
The collapse of communism in Europe 30 years ago ended a broader social-democratic compact. Does the failure to refashion that compact explain varying degrees of democratic recession and resilience? NATO… Read more »
‘Underestimating democracy’ invites demagoguery, says Walesa
Authoritarians are resurgent because of the failure to create a new global system of democratic values, said former Solidarnosc leader and Polish president Lech Walesa. “Polish democracy in practical terms… Read more »
Despotic Data: Autocrats winning online fight of open vs. closed societies?
A critical differentiator between traditional media and social media is how ‘targetcasting‘ is available only to a specific audience. Such secret targeting tears at the fabric of democracy, says Tom Wheeler, a… Read more »