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Journal of Democracy

@jodemocracy.bsky.social
4.8K followers 54 following 4.7K posts

The Journal of Democracy: The smartest analysis on democracy and authoritarianism around the world. Reposts ≠ Endorsement. linkin.bio/jodemocracy

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Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 5h
🌍 The international system has shifted to a post-unipolar state, "accompanied by a situation in which, for the first time in more than a century, all major powers are either authoritarian or led by figures who are pursuing autocratizing trajectories." muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
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Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 6h
🧑‍💼 Bureaucrats may be easy to dislike, but they can be a hidden source of democratic resilience in authoritarian regimes, writes Maria Nagawa. 🗄️ However, advances in AI threaten civil servants' autonomy. How can we defend these silent protectors of democracy? muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
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Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 7h
🤖 What is authoritarian AI's last-mile problem?💭 While AI may provide authoritarians with formidable information capabilities, any actual regime coercion must still be carried out by human agents. These human agents can then disobey the regime, writes Jie (Jason) Lian. muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
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Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 8h
What is the "real" liberation technology? According to Larry Diamond, it's the internet and social media liberation technology. 📲 Rabah Arezki argues that mobile-payment systems and financial technology more broadly are the real liberators in authoritarian regimes. 💸 muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
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Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 9h
🧐 Does nonviolent action still work? 📚 According to Breza Race Maksimovic and Jamila Raqib, nonviolent tactics from previous generations may no longer suffice. ⚠️ Today's nonviolent movements must adapt to overcome rapidly advancing authoritarian tactics. ⚠️ muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
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Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Opposition movements have begun to question the power of taking to the street. But protest matters in backsliding democracies when it builds opposition strength—politicizing new voters, emboldening institutions, and fracturing the ruling coalition. 🆕 @saskiabr.bsky.social muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
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Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Autocrats look invincible until their allies start to walk away. Defections have brought down regimes from Guatemala to Hungary, and they can be engineered: Raise the costs of standing with the autocrat and ease the path out. 🆕 by Laura Gamboa muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
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Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
When elected leaders attack the courts, judges rarely prevail on their own. Across 25 cases of backsliding, judicial independence survived only where legislators, protesters, and international institutions stood ready to defend it. 🆕 by Andrew O’Donohue muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
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Sarah @sarahjwh.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
This is very good
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Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Independent journalism is under siege from lawsuits, shutdowns, and digital dominance. Good reporting is no longer enough: The media must win distribution, build solidarity networks, diversify funding, and connect the consequences of democratic erosion to daily life. muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
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Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
"The United States descended into soft competitive authoritarianism during Donald Trump’s second presidency. Regime change occurred with striking speed. Immediately upon taking office in January 2025, Trump began to weaponize the state." muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
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Carnegie Democracy @carnegiedcg.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
🔔Out now!🔔 In a new @jodemocracy.bsky.social symposium, @carnegieendowment.org scholars @rachelkleinfeld.bsky.social, @saskiabr.bsky.social, & Andrew O'Donohue examine how individuals and institutions build democratic resilience during periods of democratic backsliding⬇️
journalofdemocracy.org
Issue: October 2026 | Journal of Democracy
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Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
"Polarization is Not the Problem" by @lilymasonphd.bsky.social is deservedly getting attention, and a line from it applies here: Telling "everyone to quiet down and be 'civil'... benefits those who are willing to grab as much power as they can without concern for legality or civility."
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Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Opposition parties cannot defeat backsliding incumbents alone, but big united fronts often fail, too. The important choice lies between unity coalitions and quiet ones—and knowing which to choose can make all the difference. 🆕 by @rachelkleinfeld.bsky.social muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
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Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Polarization is not the problem. The problem: ethnonationalists threatening vulnerable citizens' rights. "The people who are the most 'polarized' in the U.S. electorate are those who are racist and sexist, and those who oppose racists and sexists." @lilymasonphd.bsky.social muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
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Pat Sajak’s #1 Fan @flickityflarn.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
"The problem is not that the parties are divided. The problem is the existential threat that a reempowered ethnonationalist strain poses to pluralistic U.S. democracy writ large..."
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Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
A wealthy, high-quality democracy has seized up. No populist, no stolen election—just divided government colliding with a constitution built for single-party rule. With Beijing watching, the stakes for Taiwan could not be higher. 🆕 by @kharist.bsky.social muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
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Chris Strauber @cstrauber.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Polarization is not the problem. "...the people who are the most “polarized” in the U.S. electorate are those who -are- racist and sexist, and those who -oppose- racists and sexists."
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Kevin Elliott @kjephd.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
By all means, be inspired by @lilymasonphd.bsky.social's conclusion. But it's as important to attend to its analysis: the polarization frame suggests political responses that consolidate anti-democratic gains & autocratization of the political system. Fighting for progress is what's called for.
The United States can be a democracy in which every citizen shares the same rights and dignity before the power of the state, corruption is held to account, and benevolence toward other democracies is assumed. With the understanding that the country has yet to fully live up to these goals, we have certainly tried, at least until recently, to achieve them. We are now experiencing the backlash to that progress.

But the fury of the argument shows the importance of the outcome. When we focus on polarization as the problem, the solution is for everyone to quiet down and be “civil”—an outcome that benefits those who are willing to grab as much power as they can without concern for legality or civility. When we see the problem for what it is, the solution is to defend the most robust social progress in American history—progress that has already been codified into law and enjoyed by everyone alike. U.S. democracy needs leaders who are willing to defend those rights and voters who are willing to hold accountable the leaders who will not defend them. It does not need everyone simply to calm down.
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Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Today in "it's not polarization" 👇🎯
Right-wing radicalization does not equal polarization
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Shane Duarte @shaneduarte.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
"When we focus on polarization as the problem, the solution is for everyone to quiet down and be 'civil'—an outcome that benefits those who are willing to grab as much power as they can without concern for legality or civility."
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Laurent Dubois @soccerpolitics.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
"Partisan polarization is not the greatest threat to American democracy. It is a vivid and identifiable symptom of the real threat. And it is a popular frame because it blames no one." Tremendous and convincing piece from @lilymasonphd.bsky.social
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Rima I Anabtawi @rimaanabtawi.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
"When we focus on polarization as the problem, the solution is for everyone to quiet down and be 'civil'—an outcome that benefits those who are willing to grab as much power as they can without concern for legality or civility." ‼️
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Nathan Kalmoe (he/him) @nathankalmoe.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
THIS THIS THIS! 👇🏻
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Laurent Dubois @soccerpolitics.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
"When we focus on polarization as the problem, the solution is for everyone to quiet down and be 'civil'—an outcome that benefits those who are willing to grab as much power as they can without concern for legality or civility." - @lilymasonphd.bsky.social
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Mark Histed @markhisted.org · 02/10/2026
“a “both sides” diagnosis obscures the asymmetry between a faction seeking to reverse social progress and those resisting it. Polarization is this less the disease than democracy’s immune response to an unpopular, antidemocratic mvmt.” @lilymasonphd.bsky.social Yes. This is a prob in science too.
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Eric Rauchway @rauchway.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Polarization, still not the problem
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colleenky.bsky.social @colleenky.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
YES. THIS.
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Nate @ngs.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
This is a very good read for anyone looking to cut through the 'both sides' nonsense.
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Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Inequality fuels democratic decay almost everywhere, yet South Korea and Taiwan keep thriving. Their secret is the welfare state: Universal healthcare, pensions, and social protection have given citizens concrete reasons to trust democracy. 🆕 by @josephwongut.bsky.social muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
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Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
For the first time in a century, every great power is autocratic or heading that way. In a post-unipolar world, strongmen shop for patrons and make deals while democrats increasingly are on the defensive. @senemaydndzgit.bsky.social, @berkesen.bsky.social, and Sebnem Gumuscu muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
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John C. Bienvenu @jbienvenu.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
“If democracy is restored, Americans should resist the temptation to downplay or forget this authoritarianism….If we are to reclaim American democracy and safeguard its future, we must first acknowledge the extent to which it has broken down.”
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Lily Mason @lilymasonphd.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
My new JOD piece arguing against the “cure polarization” approach to saving democracy.
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Kevin Elliott @kjephd.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
@lilymasonphd.bsky.social spitting truth:
From this perspective, the “both sides” frame falls apart. The problem is not that the parties are divided. The problem is the existential threat that a reempowered ethnonationalist strain poses to pluralistic U.S. democracy writ large. The current level of political animosity is exactly what one would expect to see if an extremist faction attempted to rescind the hard-earned rights of the vast majority of the country’s citizens. The only way to re-oppress most of a country is to use anti-democratic and authoritarian tactics. And the only way to oppose those tactics is to push back as a population and clearly reject them. This is the argument happening in the United States, and its pathology is not anger—it is the movement to undermine a generation of rights.
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Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Bureaucrats who slow-walk, leak, and refuse to cooperate have long been democracy’s quiet sentinels. But autocrats armed with AI surveillance will root them out—unless democracies build new legal shields around the administrative state. 🆕 by @mnagawa.bsky.social muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
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Sai On Blue Sky @saifiles.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
This is an interesting article ... "Competitive Authoritarianism"
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Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
AI gives autocrats unprecedented powers of surveillance, but seeing is not enforcing. Authoritarians still rely on coercion, and a regime’s henchmen can shirk, defect, or disobey. The costs for autocrats will rise in unexpected ways. 🆕 by Jie (Jason) Lian muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
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Sai On Blue Sky @saifiles.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Highly recommend this journal!
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Alex Orkid 🌍 @alexorkid.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
How nonviolent movements need to adapt to the current political climate. Important read. 💯👀
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Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Social media inspired revolutions that autocrats quickly smothered. Digital payments are different: Rulers cannot switch them off without ruining their own economies. Quietly, they enrich citizens, broaden markets, and build the foundations for a freer society. —Rabah Arezki muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
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Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Americans have never been angrier with one another. But polarization is not the disease—it is the response to a revanchist movement seeking to roll back sixty years of social progress. 🆕 by @lilymasonphd.bsky.social muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
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Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Mass movements topple dictators but struggle to secure democracy afterward. The theory of nonviolent struggle is not broken; it is out of date. Regimes have adapted their repression—movements must now adapt their strategies. 🆕 by Breza Race Maksimovic and Jamila Raqib muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
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Dr. Maria Nagawa @mnagawa.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
In my new essay in @jodemocracy.bsky.social, I look at why bureaucratic discretion matters for resistance to authoritarianism—and what may be lost as AI gives political leaders new ways to monitor bureaucrats’ decisions, communications, and behavior. www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/wil...
journalofdemocracy.org
Will AI Surveillance End Bureaucratic Autonomy? | Journal of Democracy
Bureaucrats who slow-walk, leak, and refuse to cooperate have long been democracy’s quiet sentinels. But autocrats armed with AI surveillance will root them out—unless democracies build new legal…
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LSE European Institute @lse-ei.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Is Germany’s far right winning on its message, or simple presence? 🇩🇪 In @jodemocracy.bsky.social, our PhD candidate @lucasiepmann.bsky.social argues mainstream parties should learn from the AfD’s presence on the ground and accessibility, not its polices. Read more👇 www.lse.ac.uk/european-ins...
lse.ac.uk
Why Germany’s mainstream parties have lost their way
Is Germany’s far right gaining voters for its message, or simply for showing up?
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Luca Siepmann @lucasiepmann.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Thanks @lse-ei.bsky.social for featuring our essay (w/ @justinmdaniels.bsky.social) for the @jodemocracy.bsky.social. We discuss the role of the AfD's presence in local communities in mobilising many of its (new) voters in the recent elections + what this should mean for centrist parties' responses.
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Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The United States has slid into competitive authoritarianism. The slide has been modest and remains reversible—but it is real. Even after Donald Trump, American democracy will remain fragile. 🆕 by Steven Levitsky and Lucan A. Way: muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
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Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
⚠️😱🎃 October issue out now! 🎃😱⚠️ Read it FREE here: muse.jhu.edu/issue/5...
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Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Our new ✨ October issue ✨ comes out TOMORROW! Get excited! 🎃
journalofdemocracy.org
Journal of Democracy
The <em>Journal of Democracy</em> has been a leading voice in the conversation about government by consent and its place in the world.
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Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Democracies have always sparked conflict, disagreement, and deep ideological divisions. Polarized politics are hardly rare in democratic life. So under what conditions does polarization turn violent, and how can this danger be contained?
journalofdemocracy.org
When Polarization Turns Violent | Journal of Democracy
Democracies have always sparked conflict, disagreement, and deep ideological divisions. Polarized politics are hardly rare in democratic life. So under what conditions does polarization turn violent…
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Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Can Péter Magyar Restore Hungary’s Democracy?
journalofdemocracy.org
Can Péter Magyar Restore Hungary’s Democracy? | Journal of Democracy
He did the hard work of defeating Viktor Orbán. But Hungary’s new prime minister faces the harder task of undoing the damage his predecessor wrought. Can he do it while avoiding the traps Orbán left…
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