experts
Thomas Carothers
Harvey V. Fineberg Chair for Democracy Studies; Director, Democracy, Conflict and Governance Program

about

Thomas Carothers is director of Carnegie’s Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program.

Carothers is a leading authority on comparative democratization and international support for democracy, human rights, governance, the rule of law, and civil society. He has worked on democracy assistance projects for many organizations and carried out extensive field research on aid efforts around the world.

He is the author or editor of ten critically acclaimed books and many articles in prominent journals and newspapers, including most recently, Democracies Divided: The Global Challenge of Political Polarization (Brookings Press, 2019, co-edited with Andrew O'Donohue). He has been a visiting faculty member at the Central European University, Nuffield College, Oxford University, and Johns Hopkins SAIS.

Prior to joining the Endowment, Carothers practiced international and financial law at Arnold & Porter and served as an attorney adviser in the office of the legal adviser of the U.S. Department of State.


education
JD, Harvard Law School, MSc, London School of Economics, AB, Harvard College
languages
English, French, Spanish

All work from Thomas Carothers

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349 Results
a woman putting a slip of paper into a ballot box
commentary
How Global Democracy Is Faring in the Year of Elections

Some contests have been depressing spectacles of authoritarian control, while others offer a brighter snapshot.

· September 3, 2024
research
Misunderstanding Democratic Backsliding

Backsliding is less a result of democracies failing to deliver than of democracies failing to constrain the predatory political ambitions and methods of certain elected leaders. Policymakers and aid providers seeking to limit backsliding should tailor their diplomatic and aid interventions accordingly. 

· July 1, 2024
Journal of Democracy
paper
European and U.S. Democracy Support: The Limits of Convergence

Despite a favorable political environment in recent years on both sides of the Atlantic for close European-U.S. cooperation on international democracy support, only policy convergence has been achieved.

In The Media
in the media
Divided Democracies with Tom Carothers

Democracies are divided

· February 26, 2024
CounterPol Podcast
paper
Democracy Policy Under Biden: Confronting a Changed World

Responding to rising autocratic assertiveness and an ongoing democratic recession, the Biden administration has advanced multiple new policy and aid initiatives to support democracy globally. An examination of its efforts reveals six main elements, each of which embodies a complex mix of promising opportunities and nagging dilemmas.

· February 6, 2024
In The Media
in the media
The Democratic Price of Countering Authoritarianism

Through its efforts to counter the geostrategic reach of China and Russia, the Biden administration aims to defend democracy globally.

· January 22, 2024
Just Security
commentary
Democracy and Geopolitics Are on the Ballot in 2024

This year’s global elections present a panoply of political contexts and issues at stake.

· January 10, 2024
commentary
Protests in 2023: Widespread Citizen Anger Continues, With Sources Multiplying

Political overreach, economic pain, and violent conflicts drive another year of surging protests.

· December 18, 2023
paper
Examining U.S. Relations With Authoritarian Countries

Relations between the United States and many undemocratic countries around the world vary widely from cozy to conflictive. Understanding the drivers and evolving dynamics of these relationships is vital to grasping the realities of U.S. foreign policy in an age of sharp geostrategic competition.

· December 13, 2023
article
Is the Global Tide Turning in Favor of Democracy?

Despite some recent democratic gains, it is too early to declare that the global democratic recession is over. Overcoming the deep roots of democracy’s global woes will require sustained efforts by the United States and many other democracies to address a myriad of continuing challenges

· May 30, 2023