"The victory of one of these men, the story goes, would put an end to the destructive polarization that has riven Brazilian politics and help the country heal after an abysmal decade of near-zero growth and worsening inequality."
This paper looks in depth at the democracy-security dilemma with a view to helping U.S. policymakers deal with it more systematically and effectively. Case studies of U.S. policy toward Egypt, India, and Turkey over the past twenty years highlight the complexity of the democracy-security dilemma.
No matter what happens during Brazil’s elections in October 2022, the country’s democracy faces a major test. Democratic backsliding in other countries such as Hungary, Turkey, and Venezuela suggests that strongmen are often emboldened by reelection and grow increasingly authoritarian.
In the United States, new efforts to address state-backed racial violence and discrimination tap into a long global history of transitional justice. Case studies in Brazil, South Africa, and Northern Ireland shed light on which types of transitional justice programs are likely to be most effective in the United States.
Global political trends in recent years have put to rest any illusions that the relationship between technological innovation and progress in democratic politics would be largely positive. Digital technology is disrupting international politics in myriad ways.
One hundred years ago, Christian Lange won the Nobel Peace Prize and set a manifesto for internationalism. Is there much hope left for his cause?
The Pandora Papers reveal that the United States has much work to do to stop being a haven for the ill-gotten gains of political elites from around the world, but there are steps the Biden administration and Congress can take to reverse this trend.
Despite serious concerns over the state of European democracy, a spirit of democratic resistance has gained significant traction. Still, to turn the tide decisively in democracy’s favor, more ambitious renewal will be needed.
In many other countries—both developed and developing—these types of maneuvers are also used to stifle dissent and perpetuate ruling elites’ hold on power. In this respect, the recent rise of pro-government NGOs in Nigeria may be a cautionary tale.
Although political violence in the United States is on the rise, it is still lower than in many other countries. Once violence begins, however, it fuels itself. Far from making people turn away in horror, political violence in the present is the greatest factor normalizing it for the future. Preventing a downward spiral is therefore imperative.