"The question before democratic movements, democratic governments, and democratic institutions is no longer only who governs. It is who controls the systems that make governance, and freedom, possible." muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

How can philanthropy support democratic freedoms? muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

When does polarization turn violent, and how can this danger be contained? muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

Does a single challenger have an advantage over opposition alliances in facing down a would-be autocrat? muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

LAST DAY TO READ FREE! 😱 Check out our July issue today while you can still read it free! muse.jhu.edu/issue/5...

"In both countries, incumbents assumed to be unbeatable turned out to be vulnerable to a challenger that could present itself not as a compromise among competing interests, but as a genuine, unified alternative." muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

"Eritrea has no functioning constitution, no elected parliament, no independent judiciary, no free press, and no opposition parties...Isaias Afwerki, who turned eighty in 2026 and has led Eritrea since 1991, has never submitted himself to an election." muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

"Aspirational autocrats do not suffer total defeat these days. They may be voted out of office, but they still retain substantial popular support. Autocrats today regroup and come back." muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

"Freedom functions as the infrastructure for everything else that philanthropy tries to accomplish." muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

"So long as businesses are willing to collaborate with the state, it will be hard for society to find a counterweight against market-enhanced digital repression." muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

"Violence becomes possible when institutions weaken, when conspiratorial narratives flourish, and when groups increasingly view political competition as a zero-sum struggle for collective survival." muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

"The U.S. retreat is changing how international organizations are funded, who staffs them, and which countries devote diplomatic capital to push initiatives through them." muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

"The IRGC takeover will probably make Iran more aggressive and less willing to compromise with regional neighbors or the United States. When the Guard becomes the main decider, diplomacy becomes subordinate to security logic." muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

"Semi-autonomous grassroots civic organizations provided the backbone of the Tisza party's successful electoral challenge to Viktor Orbán's authoritarian rule." muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

"What has so far saved Japan, Korea, and Taiwan from full backsliding is a set of resilience-boosting historical, institutional, and demographic characteristics common to East Asian democracies." muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

"Transnational repression occurs when governments reach across borders to threaten, intimidate, and silence exiles and diaspora populations, suppressing dissent with methods ranging from online harassment to physical assaults and murder." muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

"If authoritarianism operates as an efficient machine for consolidating control, defending freedom requires an equally deliberate architecture for building capacity." muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

"Over the years following its founding in 1979, the IRGC went from being a militia to being a fullfledged military force, then an ideological security cartel, and then a parallel 'state within the state.'" muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

"The events in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017 reminded us that pogrom politics are back." muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

Eritrea's Democratic Failure muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

Why has the CCP hired corporations to do digital surveillance on their citizens? muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

Can Péter Magyar Restore Hungary’s Democracy? muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

"If control is embedded in systems, then freedom must also be built into systems. The design of the underlying infrastructure is a political question, not merely a technical one." muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

"Denied U.S. leadership and funding, international organizations focused on democracy and human rights could hollow out or even wither away completely." muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

How did the Tisza Islands take down Orbán? muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

How to Combat Transnational Repression muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

Can Hungary's new prime minister undo the damage Viktor Orbán wrought? muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

How can democracies fight back against autocracies' power to monitor, restrict, and shape behavior at scale? muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

Will another nation be able to fill the gap in the liberal order left by America's retreat? muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

How did the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran turn the Islamic Revolutionary Guard turn into the new Iranian regime? muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...