Why have moves toward democratic governance petered out over the last decade, while
authoritarian regimes have remained resilient? A distinction must be made between political …

Originally published in 2005. Domestic and foreign economic and political policies in the
rich capitalist nations in the North and in the poor countries in the South are geared towards …

The world today is more liberal than it ever was; more than 40 countries made transitions
toward democracy between 1974 and 2007. As a result, the number of democratic regimes …

In this article, which is adapted from the seventh annual Seymour Martin Lipset Lecture on
Democracy in the World, Ivan Krastev addresses three main questions: 1) Why are …

In early 1990 s, in the aftermath of the “third wave of democratization” optimism prevailed in
the way future of young democracies was perceived. However, even then there were …

With democracy in decline, authoritarian governments are staging a comeback around the
world. Over the past decade, illiberal powers have become emboldened and gained …

First,» authoritarian regimes «differ greatly among themselves–something that is perhaps
best captured by relabelling this category as non-democracies. This fact can have vital …

This is a response to Luca Tomini's “Don't think of a wave!” and Svend-Erik Skaaning's
“Waves of autocratization and democratization”. With this rejoinder we make three …

As the international balance of power has shifted away from established democracies,
autocrats have begun to assert themselves on the world stage. Once the passive targets of …

Authoritarian states often command tremendous resources, but their ability to fundamentally
change regimes abroad remains in question. Proponents of an “authoritarian resurgence” …