By Dan Slater After Elections, the Losers Don't Always Lose After enlightenment, says the Zen proverb, the laundry. It’s a wise statement about how to approach democracy as much as life itself. Even when elections deliver breakthrough democratic results, they’re typically followed by a messy but necessary business of forming coalitions and cabinets. The difference... Continue Reading →
Naunihal Singh is associate professor in the Department of National Security Affairs at the U.S. Naval War College and the author of Seizing Power: The Strategic Logic of Military Coups (2014). He recently wrote the article "The Myth of the Coup Contagion" in the Journal of Democracy. Become a Patron! Make a one-time Donation to... Continue Reading →
By Lynette H. Ong Anwar's Victory After nearly a week of political stalemate, Anwar Ibrahim, the leader of the opposition and long-time prime minister-in-waiting has successfully assembled an alliance of political parties to become the leader of the ruling coalition and the 10th Prime Minister of the country. His ruling coalition is made up of... Continue Reading →
Mohammad Ali Kadivar is an assistant professor of sociology and international studies at Boston College. He is the author of the book Popular Politics and the Path to Durable Democracy. Become a Patron! Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. It's been exciting and it's been overwhelming. It's exciting to see people are rising,... Continue Reading →
By Serhun Al Roadblocks to a Democratic Transition Almost a century ago, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founding father of modern Turkey, abolished the Ottoman caliphate and monarchy declaring a secular Republic with a European outlook. A century later, President Erdoğan has established a sultanistic regime over his twenty-year rule where many of his supporters embrace... Continue Reading →
By Justin Kempf How Should We Define Democracy? Democracy is an elusive idea. It means many different things for many different people. The blog and the podcast often exploit the various interpretations of democracy to showcase ideas or even make arguments that might leave some readers or listeners unclear about the precise meaning of democracy... Continue Reading →
Why the Debate between Development and Democracy Misses the Mark By Hong Zhang Lagos, Nigeria “When I was working in Lagos, I had to get up at 4:30 every morning to make it to work on time for five years.” A Nigerian friend recalled bitterly as he picked me up from the airport, “So don’t... Continue Reading →
Become a Patron! Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. Measuring Democracy In 1972 Freedom House published its first annual report known as Freedom in the World. It codes nations in the world on a scale from 1 to 7. While Freedom House describes countries as free, partly free, and not free, many use the report... Continue Reading →
Become a Patron! Order Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way's Revolution and Dictatorship: The Violent Origins of Durable Authoritarianism. Available for sale this week. Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox. Why Social Revolutions Are Not Democratic Typically democracy enthusiasts think of revolutions as a positive development. They imagine ruthless dictators toppled through massive nonviolent protests.... Continue Reading →
Become a Patron! Fragile Autocracies Many writers (including myself) refer to democracy as fragile. Even the most consolidated democracies face numerous threats from within and without its borders. However, the idea of democracy as fragile gives a false impression of authoritarianism as durable. In reality every regime has numerous internal and external threats to its... Continue Reading →
