Democracy & Rule of Law

Democratic Backsliding & Solutions

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Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr (C) speaks with Murad Ebrahim (3rd R), then-chief minister of Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), as Nur Misuari (3rd L), leader of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), looks on during the ceremonial opening of the Bangsamoro Transitional Authority (BTA) in Cotabato City, in the southern Philippines on September 15, 2022. (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)

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.
Georgian opposition leaders address people during a protest

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.
The frame of the photo is filled with a tightly packed crowd of judges in black robes and purple, blue, or fuscia neck ruffles, alongside members of the public. Polish, EU and other flags can be seen above them in the background, apparently carried by marchers.

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.
The protester holding the flags stands alone in front of a wall of about 20 officers completely covered by riot shields, each holding two shields vertically.

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.

Assassinations in America: How Political Violence Became Personal

Americans can no longer turn to their political leadership to avert the catastrophe of political violence.
U.S. President Donald Trump signs an Executive Orde

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.
A view of the front portico of the United States Supreme Court building in Washington, DC

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.
A sculpture is pictured at the entrance of the Brazilian Supreme Court building where the courtrooms are located in Brasilia on May 19, 2025. (Photo by EVARISTO SA/AFP via Getty Images)

Brazil’s Digital Sovereignty Is Under Attack: How Courts, Platforms, and Constitutional Law Are Redefining Democracy Online

At the heart of Brazil’s approach to digital constitutionalism is a legal framework that treats platform governance as essential to democracy.
People walk past buildings destroyed by earthquake in Hatay's historical old town, on February 05, 2025 in Hatay, Turkey. On February 6, 2023, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey, followed by another 7.5-magnitude tremor. The quakes caused widespread destruction in southern Turkey and northern Syria and claimed more than 50,000 lives. (Photo by Burak Kara/Getty Images)

The Human Costs of Systemic Corruption

When core functions of the state become warped into tools of personal enrichment or political control, ordinary people suffer. The poor and marginalized are hit hardest.
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 10: U.S. President Donald Trump signs a series of executive orders including 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum, a pardon for former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, an order relating to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and an order for the federal government to stop using paper straws and begin using plastic straws in the Oval Office at the White House on February 10, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump has signed more than 50 executive orders as of Friday, the most in a president's first 100 days in more than 40 years. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Hard to Kill: The Transnational Survival of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

The global anti-corruption regime that the United States pioneered over many decades is bigger than any one country or regime
The Washington Monument reflects in the Capitol Reflecting Pool at sunset on a warm evening on June 2, 2025 in Washington, DC.(Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

“When the Guardrails Erode” Series

Bringing together expert analysis that traces this erosion, assesses the risks for democratic governance, and outlines pathways to rebuild or even reinvent these safeguards.
The Washington Monument reflects in the Capitol Reflecting Pool at sunset on a warm evening on June 2, 2025 in Washington, DC.(Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

When Guardrails Erode: An Anti‑Corruption Series

This series aims to document how erosion is happening, what it reveals, and what it demands from those committed to rebuilding and rethinking our systems of accountability.
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