Authoritarianism

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Protesters clash with riot police during an opposition rally on the day of local elections in central Tbilisi on October 4, 2025. (Photo by GIORGI ARJEVANIDZE/AFP via Getty Images)

The Fatal Flaws in Georgia’s National Police Modernization

Georgia’s police reform reduced corruption and modernized policing, but it left law enforcement vulnerable to executive control, raising deeper concerns about autonomy.

The Just Security Podcast: Hungary After Orban

Zsuzsanna Vegh joins Viola Gienger to explore the Hungarian opposition's win, Magyar's priorities, and how Hungary’s domestic and foreign policies might change.
An older, gray-haired man stands at the right side of the frame looking out a high-rise window on the left, through which he can see lower buildings. Under the window is a row of plants that look like they might be succulents.

1,000 Days and Counting: A Father, A Professor, and a Government That Won’t Let Go

The son of Azerbaijan economist and anti-corruption activist Gubad Ibadoghlu appeals for the release of his father and uncle, both political prisoners.

The Tightrope Walk of Democratic Defense: Lessons from Taiwan’s Platform Governance Challenge

The safeguards emerging from Taiwan's effort to address information manipulation risks offer democracies a platform governance roadmap.
Someone in a fluorescent yellow safety jacket on a bicycle is standing speaking with several others at a campaign booth for the TISZA opposition political party. The booth has a poster on it apparently promoting two male candidates. There are trees and apparent residential block buildings in the background and neat brown pavers underfoot.

Hungary’s Election Could End Orbán’s Rule — But Will It End His Power?

Hungary's parliamentary election will test Prime Minister Viktor Orban's strength, as well as whether a change could successfully undo 16 years of autocratic rule.
U.S. and Armenian delegations sit across from one another at a long table extending from the front of the photo to the back, a row of flowers in the middle, and three of the respective U.S. and Armenian flags at the back, left and right, respectively, at the end of each delegation.

Facing Russian Hybrid Threats in Advance of Elections, Armenia Struggles to Maintain Pro-U.S. and EU Path

Armenia's election is an opportunity for the country to chart a course for peace and democracy. But Russia is trying to thwart that path, and U.S. and EU help is needed.
AI holographic eye and data with network on a dark blue background.

Human Rights at Risk in the Sprint Toward AI Sovereignty

Policymakers and the private sector should work with civil society to ensure that the pursuit of “sovereign AI” does not undermine fundamental rights.
Statue Of Liberty

The Spirit of Liberty—Horace E. Read Memorial Lecture

Finding the spirit of liberty in the United States requires looking beyond the leadership of elite institutions. Among ordinary citizens, there’s no scarcity of civic courage.
IMAGES (left to right): Natural disaster and its consequences (via Getty Images); In this picture taken on September 28, 2022, an internally displaced flood-affected family sits outside their tent at a makeshift tent camp in Jamshoro district of Sindh province (Photo by Rizwan Tabassum/AFP via Getty Images; Trees smolder and burn during the Dixie fire near Greenville, California on August 3, 2021. – Numerous fires are raging through the state’s northern forests, as climate change makes wildfire season longer, hotter and more devastating. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Just Security’s Climate Archive

A catalog of articles analyzing the diplomatic, political, legal, security, and humanitarian consequences of the international climate crisis.
Screenshot of the Joint Resolution proposing the 22nd Amendment, from the General Records of the U.S. Government National Archives

No Indispensable Man: The Democratic Foundation of the 22nd Amendment

To violate the 22nd Amendment would be to discard the wisdom of those who sought to preserve U.S. democracy against the last rising tide of authoritarianism.
Exterior of Northwestern University School of Law Levy Mayer Hall

The Assault on Law School Clinics is an Attack on Democracy Itself

Americans are witnessing a concerted effort to delegitimize legal defense for marginalized or politically disfavored people.
The image shows a crowd of demonstrators in multi-colored clothing holding signs, one near the center of the image wearing a makeshift crown.

When Loyalties Shift: Americans’ Growing Noncooperation with Federal Abuses of Power

Americans' refusals to accept apparent abuses of power by the federal government indicate that the political winds may be starting to shift.
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