Threat to Western democracy ‘starts at home’
We have moved from a world of ideological struggles in the 20th century to a world of geopolitical struggles in the 21st—or so goes the conventional wisdom. But technology is… Read more »
Tag: William Galston
Fear and freedom: is Western democracy in danger?
Could democracy die in the US? Is a new wave of authoritarianism sweeping the world? Is the west about to be engulfed by civil conflict? FT columnist Gideon Rachman asks:… Read more »
Why democracies collapse: erosion, decay, backsliding
The events of the past quarter-century have challenged the view that history moves inexorably in one direction. Liberal democracy is not the “end of history”—nothing is, argues William Galston, senior… Read more »
Springtime for autocrats: the new caudillos
Liberal democracy is threatened by populism of both left and right, according to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. “For the first time in my life I am anxious… Read more »
Rise of European populism opens door for Putin’s ethno-nationalism
The rise of populism is the most important European political development of the 21st century, argues William A. Galston, Senior Fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution. It has… Read more »
With democracy on the defensive, time for U.S. to ‘re-enter the fight’
With democracy on the defensive, America is missing in action, argues Brookings analyst William Galston. The latest Freedom House survey of global freedom (see below) notes “the accelerating withdrawal of… Read more »
No room for complacency on populist challenge to liberal democracy
In a compelling lecture on “the populist challenge to liberal democracy,” Brookings Institution scholar William A. Galston talked about the need to “forget about economic aggregates and focus on inclusive… Read more »
The End of the End of History? What Is To Be Done?
Is it time to declare the end of the end of history? Are we witnessing the exhaustion, or tragic collapse, of the once-vital liberal tradition that supported our politics,… Read more »
Contesting the populist challenge to liberal democracy
The transatlantic alliance – which for decades has underpinned global stability, fortified democracy, and safeguarded the West as we know it – is under severe strain, and risks terminal decline,… Read more »
Globally, broad support for democracy, but many endorse nondemocratic alternatives
Emboldened autocrats and rising populists have shaken assumptions about the future trajectory of liberal democracy, both in nations where it has yet to flourish and countries where it seemed… Read more »