Democracy & Rule of Law
Democratic Backsliding & Solutions
118 Articles
U.N. Extension of EU Troops in Bosnia Obscures Fissures Reflected in Debate
The EU should firm up its policy to help Bosnia advance toward EU membership with democratic governance. Only in this way can long-term stability be assured.
U.S. Lifts Sanctions on Putin-Backed Bosnian Serb Separatist Leader
The Trump administration's sanctions removal for Bosnian Serb separatist Milorad Dodik precedes a Russia-Led U.N. Security Council meeting.
The $550 Billion Shadow Budget: Trump’s Japan Deal and the Disappearing Appropriations Clause
The deal circumvents the Appropriations Clause and congressional safeguards designed to enforce it, creating a system answerable only to the White House.
Post-Conflict Election in the Southern Philippines Postponed for Third Time: Is Peace Unraveling?
A third postponement of elections for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao endangers a peace accord that ended a brutal war.
The Anti-Corruption Tracker: Mapping the Erosion of Oversight and Accountability
This Anti-Corruption Tracker focuses on the erosion or dismantling of oversight and accountability systems within the United States Executive Branch.
Distorted Laws on “Foreign Agents” Threaten Democracy: Mobilizing a Response
Civil society can share knowledge, boost public support, and build coalitions to resist the spread of autocratic "foreign agents" laws.
Attacks on U.S. Legal Profession Reflect Global Slide in Countries It Once Aided
Political pressures like those used to silence legal professionals and undermine rule of law in Europe and Eurasia echo patterns of the autocratic playbook.
After Another Sham Election in Georgia, the Country’s Citizens Persist
Georgians will fight for their democracy, as the ruling party now becomes one of the world's many paranoid, insecure dictatorships that know their days are numbered.
The Trump Administration’s Use of State Power Against Media: Keeping Track of the Big Picture
Tracking the use of State power requires systematically identifying linkages between individual developments and broader trends. This graphic offers one method.
Assassinations in America: How Political Violence Became Personal
Americans can no longer turn to their political leadership to avert the catastrophe of political violence.
Repression as Rescue: The Authoritarian Logic of Trump’s Early Executive Orders
The rhetorical threats Trump employed during his campaign are directly echoed in the titles and content of his second-term EOs.
Trump’s Use of Consent Decrees to Dismantle Policy
The administration has turned consent decrees into a deregulatory weapon, and courts are beginning to confront the limits of that strategy.