Our curated library is packed full of knowledge, know-how and best practices in the fields of democracy and culture.
Read the latest on the Russian invasion of Ukraine and other critical world events in our library of democratic content. Gathered from trusted international sources, the curated library brings you a rich resource of articles, opinion pieces and more on democracy and culture to keep you updated.
Take a look at curated library below and search by keyword (i.e. Ukraine or authoritarianism) or format (i.e. article or report) and find a tailored list of resources on the topics you're most interested in.
Facebook Has Been a Disaster for the World
“Facebook has been incredibly lucrative for its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, who ranks among the wealthiest men in the world. But it’s been a disaster for the world itself, a powerful vector for paranoia, propaganda and conspiracy-theorizing as well as authoritarian crackdowns and vicious attacks on the free press. Wherever it goes, chaos and destabilization follow” (Jamelle Bouie, 2020).
With Freedom at Stake, Courts Are Collapsing
“The rise of right-wing populist leaders in several countries has brought immense attention to the use of executive power, in popular debate and among constitutional scholars across presidential and parliamentary systems. Along with the rise of executive power, there has been a corresponding but less studied phenomenon: the decline in judicial power” (Madhav Khosla, 2020).
The Pandemic Was Supposed to Be Great for Strongmen. What Happened?
“The protests in Belarus should force us to rethink the relationship between the pandemic and authoritarianism. Does the virus infect our societies with authoritarian governance or, alternatively, can it strengthen democratic immunity?” (Ivan Krastev, 2020).
The Age of Zombie Democracies
More and more autocrats are “forced to rely on ever starker forms of repression: they still hold periodic elections...but they do not even pretend that these empty rituals are free or fair. The result has been the proliferation of what might be called “zombie democracies”—the living dead of electoral political systems” (Kenneth Roth, 2021).
Redefining Populism
The interviewee argues that “populism is really not just about criticizing élites or being somehow against the establishment. In fact, any old civics textbook would have told us up until recently that being critical of the powerful is actually a civic virtue” and now there is a sense that “this could actually somehow be dangerous for democracy” (Chotiner 2021).
We Might Have Reached Peak Populism
“Feeling optimistic about the state of American politics is hard….but we can’t forget how much worse things could be right now—and what a major achievement it was for Joe Biden to have defeated Donald Trump. America booted an authoritarian populist from office in a free and fair election at the conclusion of his first term” (Yascha Mounk, 2021).
The West Gets Serious With Lukashenko—but Not Serious Enough
“The West must not fall back into its previous pattern of easing up on sanctions after securing a prisoner release—not least because there are still more than 500 political prisoners in Lukashenko’s prisons, according to the Human Rights Center Viasna” (Kobets and Kramer, 2021).
China Won’t Bury Us, Either
“It’s a cliché that China’s rise is “unstoppable,”...the corollary is that the world will simply have to acquiesce to its burgeoning list of demands, including its maritime claims to the South China Sea and reunification (if necessary, by force) with Taiwan...but appearances of strength tend to obscure realities of weakness” (Stephens 2021).
Becoming Strong
“China believes that its rise to great-power status entitles it to a new role in world affairs—one that cannot be reconciled with unquestioned U.S. dominance”. Beijing “views Biden’s attempts at isolating China diplomatically as a serious threat and is working on multiple fronts to make the country less vulnerable to U.S. aggression and pressure” (Xuetong 2021).
China Has Risen.’ And It Is Hungry for Competition.
“The great debate over which system is better hasn’t faded away. In fact, it’s gearing up for another round. But rather than see competition with China as a zero-sum game, the United States could embrace a way of competing that spurs us to make investments in our people that we should have been making all along” (Stockman 2021).
This site links to both original content and third-party content not owned by the Democracy & Culture Foundation, for which the foundation is not liable or responsible.