Democracy Paradox
Democracy Paradox is a weekly podcast hosted by Justin Kempf that explores the complexities and contradictions of democracy through conversations with experts in international relations, political theory, and history. Topics include civil resistance, authoritarian successor parties, and the autocratic middle class, challenging conventional ideas about democratic governance.
Episodes
Dan Slater Says Authoritarian Ideologies Still Matter
We think of World War II as this global democratizing event, but what it really did was strengthen left-wing authoritarianism.Dan SlaterDan Slater is the James Orin Murfin Professor of Political Science and the Director of the Center of Emerging Democracies at the University of Michigan. He is the coauthor (with Joseph Wong) of the book From Development to Democracy: The Transformations of Modern
Guillermo Trejo on Accountability, Impunity, and the Fate of New Democracies
What happens when the violent state forged under autocracy survives into democracy?Guillermo TrejoIn this episode of The Democracy Paradox, Kellogg faculty fellow Guillermo Trejo discusses his new book, Accountability Shock, coauthored with Lucía Tiscornia and Juan Albarracín. Trejo explains how authoritarian security forces can survive democratic transitions and fuel organized crime, and why trut
Kenneth Roberts Says the Left Pays a Steep Price for Breaking with Democracy
The left pays a very steep price when they break with democratic norms and procedures.Kenneth RobertsKenneth Roberts is the Richard J. Schwartz Professor of Government at Cornell University. He is the coauthor (with Santiago Anria) of Polarization and Democracy in Latin America: Legacies of the Left Turn.The Democracy Paradox is made in partnership with the Kellogg Institute of the Keough School o
Sheri Berman Says the Democratic Recession Was Not a Surprise
If democracy wants to regain the upper hand, it has to not only do a better job than the other guys, but in fact, a good job.Sheri BermanThis episode features a conversation with political scientist Sheri Berman on why today’s global "democratic recession" was actually predictable. Drawing from her deep historical research, Berman argues that every democratic wave eventually faces an &qu
Christopher Walker Revisits Sharp Power
Sharp power seeks to exploit the openness of free societies because their institutions are open.Christopher WalkerChristopher Walker, a leading expert on authoritarian influence, returns to the origins of the concept of "sharp power," a term he helped develop to distinguish coercive and manipulative forms of influence from Joseph Nye’s idea of soft power. While soft power relies on attra
Hugo Drochon Says Elites Are Inevitable
I don't think populism is necessarily a challenge to democracy. I think it's part and parcel of it.Hugo DrochonHugo Drochon joins The Democracy Paradox to explore why elites are an unavoidable part of democracy – and why that may not be a bad thing. Drawing on classical elite theory, he explains how democratic systems depend on the constant circulation of competing elites and why outside
Milan Svolik Asks: Do Voters Really Support Democracy?
We are badly mismeasuring whether and how much people care about democracy.Milan SvolikIn this episode of the Democracy Paradox, host Justin Kempf speaks with political scientist Milan Svolik, the Elizabeth S. & A. Varick Stout Professor of Political Science at Yale University and author of The Politics of Authoritarian Rule. Their conversation explores one of the central puzzles in contempora
Minxin Pei Warns China Has Descended into Totalitarianism
The paradox of dictatorship is that dictatorships do well when they do not have a genuine dictator.Minxin PeiIn this episode of Democracy Paradox, Justin Kempf speaks with China scholar Minxin Pei about his book The Broken China Dream: How Reform Revived Totalitarianism and his argument that China under Xi Jinping has shifted from authoritarianism back toward totalitarianism. They explore the miss
Erica Frantz says Personalist Parties are Democracy's Latest Threat
Traditional programmatic parties serve as a critical guardrail for democracy. Erica FrantzIn this episode, Justin Kempf speaks with Erica Frantz about her book The Origins of Elected Strongmen and the rise of personalist leaders in democracies. Frantz explains how leader-dominated political parties – more than populist rhetoric alone – can erode democratic institutions from within, drawing on cas
Javier Pérez Sandoval Reveals Democracy’s Hidden Vulnerability: The Hollowing of the State
By dismantling certain capacities today, you're making the democratic choices of tomorrow harder.Javier Pérez SandovalIn this episode, Javier Pérez Sandoval discusses his Journal of Democracy essay, coauthored with Andrés Mejía Acosta, on why populist leaders often “hollow out” the state. Moving beyond familiar debates about executive aggrandizement and democratic backsliding, Pérez Sandoval
Kate Baldwin Explains Why Christianity Fights for Democracy in Africa
The group of people who have an interest in defending liberal democracy might be broader than many academics, and maybe even liberals, would have shown.Kate BaldwinThis episode features Yale political scientist Kate Baldwin in a conversation about her book Faith in Democracy, which challenges the assumption that religion is inherently hostile to democratic governance. Drawing on research from sub-
Natalie Wenzell Letsa Describes the Autocratic Voter
You can take a cognitive bias so far down the road that you can live in an objectively very clear dictatorship and sit there and say, 'I live in a democracy.'Natalie Wenzell LetsaIn this episode of The Democracy Paradox, host Justin Kempf speaks with political scientist Natalie Wenzell Letsa about why some voters genuinely support ruling parties in electoral autocracies. Drawing on her b
Russell Muirhead Warns Ungoverning Threatens Democracy
The heart of ungoverning is going after expertise - eradicating expertise - and replacing it with the power of the great ruler.Russ MuirheadRussell Muirhead is the Robert Clements Professor of Democracy and Politics and the co-director of the Political Economy Project at Dartmouth University. He's also the co-author, with Nancy Rosenblum, of Ungoverning: The Attack on the Administrative State
Luis Schiumerini on Incumbency Bias
Decreasing incumbent capacity and affective polarization are making incumbency salient, but also more of a curse than a blessing.Luis SchiumeriniIn this episode of The Democracy Paradox, host Justin Kempf speaks with Notre Dame political scientist Luis Schiumerini about his new book Incumbency Bias: Why Political Office is a Blessing and a Curse in Latin America. Schiumerini challenges common assu
Adam Przeworski Asks Who Decides What is Democratic
The biggest disappointment is that democracies do not reduce social and economic inequality.Adam PrzeworskiIn this episode, host Justin Kempf talks with political scientist Adam Przeworski about what truly defines democracy today. Przeworski explains why he sees no global democratic crisis, defends a minimalist view centered on free and fair elections, and reflects on why democracies struggle to r
Killian Clarke Warns Counterrevolution is a Threat to Nascent Democracies
For democratic revolutions to survive counterrevolution, they have to make certain choices that can undermine the quality of their democracy.Killian ClarkePolitical scientist Killian Clarke joins The Democracy Paradox to discuss his new book, Return of Tyranny: Why Counterrevolutions Emerge and Succeed. He explains why democratic revolutions are especially vulnerable to reversal, how elites and ci
Amel Ahmed Says the Regime Question Has Returned
The regime question at its core is about how we should govern ourselves... This is an enduring question that is essential to democratic politics.Amel AhmedThis episode begins with host Justin Kempf and Javier Pérez Sandoval setting the stage for a deep dive into the “regime question,” highlighting its significance in democratic theory and contemporary politics. Their introductory discussion explor
Tom Carothers Says We Misunderstand Democratic Backsliding
After an introductory conversation with Kellogg Faculty Fellow Marc Jacob, Democracy Paradox host Justin Kempf explores the dynamics of global democracy with renowned expert Thomas Carothers. Carothers, the director of the Carnegie Endowment's Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program, shares his deep knowledge and firsthand experiences in democracy promotion, focusing on the importance of
Javier Corrales on Intentional Polarization
Javier Corrales, professor of political science at Amherst College, discusses his recent research on democratic backsliding and intentional polarization. The discussion explores how leaders employ extremist policies and ideological rhetoric to consolidate executive power, drawing comparisons between Venezuela, the United States, and other global contexts. An introductory conversation with Kellogg
Susan Stokes on Democratic Backsliders
In this episode, Justin interviews Susan Stokes, the Tiffany and Margaret Blake Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago and Director of the Chicago Center on Democracy. They discuss her new book The Backsliders, which explains how economic inequality and political polarization create conditions that allow leaders to undermine democratic institutions. She
The Last Episode. Elizabeth Saunders on How Democracies Wage War and Make Peace
We've often compared democratic national security and autocratic security making in terms of autocratic elites and democratic voters. My argument is not that all democracies are the same, but I do think we ought to be thinking about autocratic elites and democratic elites and voters.Elizabeth SaundersProudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://k
When Democracy Breaks: Final Thoughts with Archon Fung, David Moss and Arne Westad
I think we've seen democracies can be unstable. Autocracies are even more unstable.David MossMade in partnership with the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and InnovationGet your copy of When Democracy Breaks or read it open access.Access Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more
When Democracy Breaks: Scott Mainwaring on Argentina
March 24th, 1976 is the coup and it unleashes wild celebrations in establishment Argentina and almost no opposition.... Of course, this unleashed the most ruthless dictatorship in Argentina's history and in recent South American history as well.Scott MainwaringMade in partnership with the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and InnovationGet your copy of When Democracy Breaks or read it open
When Democracy Breaks: 1930s Japan with Louise Young
There's a fog of democratic breakdown where really you cannot see the actual impact of your choices or your actions until after the fact.Louise YoungMade in partnership with the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and InnovationGet your copy of When Democracy Breaks or read it open access.Access Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly sponsored by the
When Democracy Breaks: Ancient Athens with Josiah Ober and Federica Carugati
What strikes me about that period is that democracy was not inevitable.Federica CarugatiMade in partnership with the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and InnovationGet your copy of When Democracy Breaks or read it open access.Access Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https:
Alexander Keyssar on Why We Still Have the Electoral College
I think that if you got rid of the Electoral College, in the short run, there would be losers. But it hasn't always been the same group and it hasn't always been the same party.Alexander KeyssarMade in partnership with the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and InnovationMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies.
Robert Kagan on the Threat of Antiliberalism
You actually have to fight in every generation, if you want to preserve liberalism. It's not just going to preserve itself. It's not just the end of history. It isn't just the final resting place of humanity - not by any stretch of the imagination. It's a continual struggle.Robert KaganAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly spons
Rep Mikie Sherrill on Whether the Bipartisan Consensus on Foreign Policy Will Hold and on Threats to American Democracy
People in Congress are leaders in their communities and people in some parts of this country are, in my opinion, being led astray.Rep. Mikie SherrillThis episode was made in partnership with the Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of DemocracyAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn
Saskia Brechenmacher on Promoting Gender Equality Through Democracy Assistance Aid
What does it mean to empower women politically in a context in which the dominant party is engaged in democratic backsliding or other forms of illiberal and exclusionary politics? Would you still want more women to be part of that party?Saskia BrechenmacherAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International St
Democracy in a Postmodern Era with Bruce Ackerman
We have to reconstruct the foundations of our democracy, building on the past, not repudiating everything we're building on it.Bruce AckermanAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduSponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn m
Adam Casey on How Military Aid Can Stabilize and Destabilize Foreign Autocrats
We thought we were strengthening the militaries in the Cold War. In fact, the political effects of those strengthened militaries ended up leading to a longer-term deterioration and instability.Adam CaseyAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduSponsored b
Disinformation is a Threat to Democracy Says Barbara McQuade
We have to care more about truth than tribe. We have to care more about each other than about profit.Barbara McQuadeThis episode was made in partnership with the Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of DemocracyAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduSpo
Grading Biden's Foreign Policy with Alexander Ward
Whoever you vote for, Biden or Trump at this point, you are voting for a radically different vision of American foreign policy.Alexander WardAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduSponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more a
Peter Pomerantsev on Winning an Information War
All this stuff about half of America just won't listen to this. You're just not trying. You're just not trying. I fear in America people don't try to reach people in echo chambers.Peter PomerantsevAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.
Is Democracy Still in Decline? Yana Gorokhovskaia on the Freedom in the World Report
Without an elected government, without a government that truly represents... a lot of things are imperiled - rights, democracy, freedom, certainly peace. I think that's another kind of challenge as we go into this year of widespread elections. It's not just about preserving democracy. It's also laying the foundation for peace.Yana GorokhovskaiaAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake
When We Misread Dictators... Steve Coll on Saddam Hussein and the American Invasion of Iraq
As a writer I had the space to try to humanize him without sanitizing him. That was my mission: to try to see the world from behind his eyes in order to explain his otherwise inexplicable behavior.Steve CollAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduRead Ju
Why is the Immigration System Broken? Jonathan Blitzer on How American Foreign Policy in Central America Created a Crisis
Written into the DNA of American immigration policy, which we tend to regard as a kind of domestic policy - and which in many ways it is - has to do with US foreign policy.Jonathan BlitzerThis episode was made in partnership with the Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of Democracy.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduAccess Epi
The Surveillance State in China Began With Mao Says Minxin Pei
I think a powerful surveillance apparatus will continue to be a major obstacle to the development of democratic forces, but it will not be the decisive factor.Minxin PeiProudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Read Justin Kempf's essay "The Revo
After a Coup, Can the Constitutional Order Be Repaired? Adem Abebe on Rebuilding Constitutions in West Africa
As democracy promoters, we also need to pay a lot of attention to the material needs of people... When these material needs are not satisfied, people will be more willing to give nondemocratic forms a chance.Adem AbebeThis episode was made in partnership with the Constitution Building Programme at International IDEAAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Pro
Can Poland Repair its Constitutional Democracy? Tomás Daly Believes it Can
Poland will be showing us the endless ingenuity of constitutional thinkers who are genuinely committed to democracy in its many forms.Tomás DalyThis episode was made in partnership with the Constitution Building Programme at International IDEAAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn m
Simon Shuster on Zelensky in War and Peace
I think his heart is in the right place. I've talked to him about these things. He's very sensitive to the judgment of history. He knows that. Ukraine has been fighting since long before he became president to be an independent sovereign democracy with freedom of speech.Simon ShusterProudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu
Marcela Rios Tobar on the Failed Constitutional Process in Chile
When politics has to solve the problems that it has caused, how can politics do that?Marcela Rios TobarThis episode was made in partnership with the Constitution Building Programme at International IDEA Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full tran
Kurt Weyland on the Resilience of Democracy
Populist leaders want polarization. They start polarization. They confront. Kurt WeylandProudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.eduAccess Episodes Ad-Free on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Kurt Weyland is the Mike Hogg Professor in Liberal Arts. He has wri
Is a New Jim Crow Emerging in India? Ashutosh Varshney Gives a Warning
That's the point here. It's not there yet. But if electorally the BJP keeps winning, this is a prospect that must be faced.Ashutosh VarshneyProudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu Listen ad-free for just a $5/month on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparad
Does Democracy Rely on a Civic Bargain? Josiah Ober Makes the Case
What we really need to do is recommit to the idea that this is difficult, it is valuable, and in order to keep this valuable, difficult thing going, we need to basically pay the cost of educating ourselves, educating the next generation, the background knowledge and skills that citizens need if they are to continue to govern themselves...Josiah OberSupport the podcast on PatreonMake a one-time Don
Is Islamism Democratic? Sebnem Gumuscu on Islamist Parties in Egypt, Tunisia, and Turkey
If these Islamist organizations want to stay in these contexts and keep playing the democratic game, they need to commit to the democratic game in the longer run.Sebnem GumuscuSupport the podcast on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Sebnem Gumuscu is an associate professor of political science at Middlebury College and t
Can America Fight Back Against the Authoritarian Economic Statecraft of China? Bethany Allen Believes We Can
In the past 26 years, to this day, there has not been one major Hollywood production that has gone against a major Chinese Communist Party red line. Not one. Twenty-six years of silence.Bethany AllenSupport the podcast on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Bethany Allen is the China reporter at Axios and the author of Bei
Does Democracy Die in Darkness? Katlyn Carter on Transparency and Secrecy in Early Representative Governments
If we're thinking about democracy as something broader that is producing equality, justice or these kind of things, often those policies that we might describe as democratic policies can emerge from processes that are undemocratic. I think that's uncomfortable for us to think about.Katlyn CarterSupport the podcast on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript
How Can Democracy Survive in an Age of Discontent? Rachel Navarre and Matthew Rhodes-Purdy on Populism and Political Extremism
I think populism is rather a specific form of discontent. Discontent is the umbrella term. It's this vague sense that the way things are being done is not working. That democracy is not effective. That it's not serving my interests.Matthew Rhodes-PurdySupport the podcast on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Rac
Rachel Schwartz on How Guatemala Rose Up Against Democratic Backsliding
This was an election that was meant to cement authoritarian rule and it became a democratic breakthrough.Rachel SchwartzAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Rachel Schwartz is an assistant professor of international and area studies at the University of Oklahoma. Recently, she cowrote an article wit
Who is Alexey Navalny? David Herszenhorn Paints a Picture
It's impossible not to admire somebody who is willing to stand up for their country, for freedom and democracy, for the idea that Russians should be able to chart their own future and have a say in what their government looks like.David HerszenhornAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.David Hers
Leadership is Not a Formula Says Moshik Temkin
Leadership is not a formula. It's not something that happens in a vacuum. It's not just something that you can declare about yourself.Moshik TemkinAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Moshik Temkin is a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Leadership and History at Schwarzman College, Tsing
Patricia Evangelista Says The Philippines is an Example of What Happens When Autocrats and Dictators Rise and We Let Them
For people like me or just your ordinary Joes who speak of democracy, I thought it meant freedom. I thought it meant a free press. I thought it meant that people would not die on the streets.Patricia EvangelistaAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Patricia Evangelista is a trauma journalist and form
Cenk Uygur is Running an Unorthodox Campaign for President
You could take that populism and turn it negative, which often happens... But populism could also be a wonderful thing where you're actually appealing to what the voters want instead of what the powerful want.Cenk UygurAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Cenk Uygur is a host of the show The Yo
Shadi Hamid on Democracy, Liberalism, and the Middle East
Autocracy as we understand it today is a modern creation. I think there we see very few successful examples of modern autocracies that are able to sustain themselves.Shadi HamidAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Shadi Hamid is a columnist and member of the Editorial Board at The Washington Post. H
Branko Milanovic on Different Visions of Inequality
Writing a book like that makes you really think brutally about the past. It makes you really think about the current time and also how the future would look at you.Branko MilanovicAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Branko Milanovic is a Research Professor at the City University of New York and a S
Yascha Mounk Warns Against a Misguided New Ideology
I really do think that what we've witnessed over the last decades is the emergence of a new ideology that is meaningfully distinct... I think it really is meaningfully distinct from other forms of what is meant to be left wing in the past from other ideological traditions.Yascha MounkAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available a
Heather Cox Richardson on History, Conservatism, and the Awakening of American Democracy
It would be a lovely thing if before I die, I get to see a younger generation reclaim democracy and rebuild it in a new, more expansive way.Heather Cox RichardsonAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Heather Cox Richardson is a Professor of History at Boston College. Her daily newsletter Letters from
Daniel Ziblatt on American Democracy, the Republican Party, and the Tyranny of the Minority
I think one of the greatest barriers to reform is thinking that reform is impossible.Daniel ZiblattAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Daniel Ziblatt is the Eaton Professor of Government at Harvard University and director of the Transformations of Democracy group at Berlin's Social Science Cen
Is Reunification Still Possible? Victor Cha and Ramon Pacheco Pardo on Korea
North Korea is stable up until the day it's not... The day that it collapses, there'll be a lot of people out there who will say this was inevitable.Victor ChaAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Victor Cha is a professor of government at Georgetown University and holds the Korea Chair at
Deng Xiaoping is Not Who You Think He is. Joseph Torigian on Leadership Transitions in China and the Soviet Unio
People still think of Chinese history as this two-line struggle because that's the story the Chinese tell. But everything from Mao Zedong's relationship to Liu Shaoqi to anything that happened during the 1980s, it was not a problem of competing policy platforms. It was a problem of getting the politics of your relationship with the top leader right when it was hard to guess what they wer
Robert Kaplan on the Politics of the Past and Future of the Greater Middle East
Great developments by nature are not linear. Things just don't always continue as they have been. That's why this idea that the Arab Spring came, it went, it happened, it didn't work, therefore the Middle East will always remain an autocracy - that's linear thinking. Great events are great precisely because they're not linear.Robert KaplanAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMa
Is India Still a Democracy? Rahul Verma Emphatically Says Yes
India should be understood as a test case of democracy outside the Western world.Rahul VermaAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Rahul Verma is a fellow at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi. He is also Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science, Ashoka University.
Cass Sunstein on Interpreting the US Constitution
It would be a miracle if the original understanding of the Constitution just landed time and time again with the views in 2023 of the right-wing of the Republican Party. That would be too amazing a coincidence. That's more than troublesome.Cass SunsteinAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Cass
Marc Plattner Has Quite a Bit to Say About Democracy
I think we have a more complex notion of what democracy is. - Marc PlattnerAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Marc Plattner is the founding coeditor of the Journal of Democracy and the founding codirector of the National Endowment for Democracy’s International Forum for Democratic Studies. Until 2
Is McKinsey and Company a Threat to Democracy? Michael Forsythe Shares His Reporting
It's too simplistic to call it an evil company. There are certainly a lot of very good people that work there. It's just the system itself and the corporation itself and the system that it's embedded in is what causes the problems.Michael ForsytheAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.M
Sergei Guriev Revisits Spin Dictators
Spin dictators have fewer political prisoners, fewer political killings. This is good. This is really good. On the other hand, we want to tell everybody that they are still dictators.Sergei GurievAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Sergei Guriev is a professor of Economics at Sciences Po in Paris.
Berk Esen and Sebnem Gumuscu on the Disappointing Elections in Turkey... or How Democratic (or Autocratic) is Turkey Really?
Elections are not free or fair, but they matter greatly because this is how Erdoğan comes to power and stays in power and in this case he was almost about to lose that power.Sebnem GumuscuSupport Democracy Paradox on Podurama. Listen here.Access Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Berk Esen is an assistan
Hal Brands Thinks China is a Declining Power... Here's Why that's a Problem
The most dangerous states in the international system aren't necessarily revisionist powers that think that their trajectory points continually upward. It's those countries that have been growing, rising for a long time, and then fear that they are peaking and are about to decline. Those are the countries that are inclined to take the biggest risks to try to improve their position in the
Natasha Wheatley Raises Some Really Difficult Questions About Sovereignty
My book is in some ways trying to help us see not only the kind of deep intermingling of pre-modern and modern ideas of sovereignty, but how we repeat some of those more fantastical attributes of sovereignty that we might otherwise presume to be long gone remnants of a more superstitious or religious age.Natasha WheatleyAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.
Sebastian Edwards on the History of Neoliberalism in Chile
I think that the most important reform is openness. Once the country is open, really open to the rest of the world, the rest follows.Sebastian EdwardsAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Sebastian Edwards is the Henry Ford II Professor of International Economics at the University of California, Los
Dan Slater on Thailand's Revolutionary Election
Democracy is Eastern as well as Western.Dan SlaterAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Dan Slater is the James Orin Murfin Professor of Political Science, the Ronald and Eileen Weiser Professor of Emerging Democracies, and director of the Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies at the University of M
Peter Turchin Wants to Avoid Political Disintegration
If you have grown up in a household which had decent quality of life and now you are struggling, you cannot even match the degree of wellbeing that your parents achieved, this is very obvious and makes people feel completely dissatisfied with the system that we have now.Peter TurchinAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.
Isabel Kershner on Israel and its Divisions
It's very hard to understand what's happening today without looking at the roots of all these divisions and at the interests of the different communities and their long-held resentments against the establishment of the country.Isabel KershnerAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Isabel Kers
Cole Bunzel on Wahhābism
The Jihadis today root themselves theologically and ideologically in a particular movement that is exclusivist, that is militant, that is activist, and that is the movement known as Wahhābism.Cole BunzelAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Cole Bunzel is a fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanfor
Daron Acemoglu on Technology and the Struggle for Shared Prosperity
If you have this model of AI, which is geniuses design machines and those machines or algorithms are going to scoop up all the data and they're going to make better decisions for you. That's fundamentally anti-democratic.Daron AcemogluAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Daron Acemoglu is
Serhii Plokhy on the Russo-Ukrainian War
The fact that Ukraine can be a democracy.... presents a threat to the authoritarian regimes in Moscow and Minsk of the sort that NATO would never actually present.Serhii PlokhyAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Serhii Plokhy is a Professor of Ukrainian history at Harvard University and the Directo
Anne Applebaum on Autocracy, Inc
We are at a moment of very, very high risk and I'm not sure that people really know that or understand it, or if they do, if they care.Anne ApplebaumAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Anne Applebaum is a staff writer at The Atlantic and a Pulitzer-prize winning historian. Some of her books in
Marsin Alshamary on Iraq’s Struggle for Democracy
The thing that really astonishes me is that there's never any agency given to Iraqis, both during the war and the occupation, but also 20 years later. It always goes back to what the Americans did. There's a defeatism about Iraq's ability to do anything on its own and I think that's at the heart of why people can't see anything democratic in the country.Marsin AlshamaryAcc
Jamie Susskind Explains How to Use Republican Ideals to Govern Technology
The problem in both cases is not Zuckerberg or Musk, but the idea of a Zuckerberg or Musk. The idea that, simply by virtue of owning and controlling a particular technology, someone wields arbitrary or unaccountable power which can touch every aspect of our liberty and our democracy.Jamie SusskindAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is ava
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