modern politics essay

The Elections That Mattered Most in 2024

What Burkina Faso’s Tragic History Teaches Us

• Haleigh Bartos
• Aleksaundra Handrinos

China’s Age of Counterreform

• Carl Minzner

The Power of Liberal Nationalism

• M. Steven Fish

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October 2024, Volume 35, Issue 4

How to Prevent Political Violence

• Rachel Kleinfeld
• Nicole Bibbins Sedaca

Political violence is rising in wealthy democracies. Polarized societies and bitter party politics are putting candidates and election officials in serious peril. Political leaders, more than anyone, have the power to stoke or stamp out this dangerous cycle of violence.

July 2024, Volume 35, Issue 3

Who Decides What Is Democratic?

• Adam Przeworski

The “crisis” of democracy is a crisis of representation. New parties, some of which are populist in troublingly illiberal ways, are arising from this moment. The danger that they pose is not that they are antidemocratic, but that they are antiliberal.

April 2024, Volume 35, Issue 2

America’s Crisis of Civic Virtue

• Arthur C. Brooks

The problem for democracy today is not capitalism; it is a decline in public honesty and civility. But there is an opportunity to revive our sense of national community, if we seize it.

When Democracy Is on the Ballot

• Michael Ignatieff

Democracy is on dangerous ground when its fundamental rules become the main point of political contention. This is where we are today. The truth is that the institutions, not just the players, need to change.

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Who Is the Real Javier Milei? | Daniel Torres Checa He is rude, foul-mouthed, and one of the most popular politicians in the world. Like it or not, Argentina’s chainsaw-wielding president is the new face of populism.

How to Defend the Vote from Authoritarians   | Giorgi Meladze and Srdja Popovic Georgia’s opposition is facing a pivotal election. But it isn’t enough to win: They need to be prepared to move quickly, mobilize the public, and force the regime to concede.

Africa’s Leaders for Life  | Alexander Noyes and John Reece The continent’s aspiring dictators are attacking term limits with a vengeance, finding new ways to avoid handing over power. But citizens are overwhelmingly against it — and can help keep their leaders in check

News & Updates

Why dictators are making a comeback.

October 2024

Authoritarians are evolving — becoming more unconstrained and repressive at home, and more destructive on the global stage. The following essays unpack the authoritarians’ toolkit, revealing their strategies for taking power and upending the liberal world order.

The Future of Multiracial Democracy

Immigration to the West has been soaring for a decade, as rising numbers of people flee conflict, hunger, and poverty. In the new issue of the Journal of Democracy , four leading thinkers explore the future of multiracial democracy and show how democracies must adapt if they are to succeed.

The Rise of Political Violence in the United States

In a deeply polarized United States, ordinary people now consume and espouse once-radical ideas and are primed to commit violence.

The 2016 U.S. Election: How Trump Lost and Won

• Michael Tesler
• Lynn Vavreck

Three factors help to explain the historically wide split between the electoral and popular vote counts: economic and political fundamentals, polarization among voters over identity issues, and the sharply divergent ways in which the candidates chose to address these issues.

Why India’s Democracy Is Dying

Under Narendra Modi, India is maintaining the trappings of democracy while it increasingly harasses the opposition, attacks minorities, and stifles dissent. It can still reverse course, but the damage is mounting.

What Putin Fears Most

• Robert Person
• Michael McFaul

Forget his excuses. Russia’s autocrat doesn’t worry about NATO. What terrifies him is the prospect of a flourishing Ukrainian democracy.

How Viktor Orbán Wins

• Kim Lane Scheppele

The case of Hungary shows how autocrats can rig elections legally, using legislative majorities to change the law and neutralize the opposition at every turn, no matter what strategy they adopt.

ELECTION WATCH

Tunisia’s insecure strongman.

By Nate Grubman

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