Democracy

Framing ethical perspectives

Democracy is a form of government in which political control is given to the people, whether directly or through the election of governing officials. Currently, large numbers of people have lost faith in this form of government and some elected officials have been working to dismantle democratic institutions. Our programs, events, and experts strive to better understand this development.

Featured Democracy Resources

State of global democracy, U.S. global engagement, and more

JUN 9, 2021 Podcast

Illiberal Democracy on the Rise: Examining Brazil, Hungary, & India

APR 19, 2022 Podcast

Why Democracy vs. Autocracy Misses the Point, with Jean-Marie Guéhenno

Senior Fellow Anja Kapsersen is joined by Professor Jean-Marie Guéhenno for a conversation about virtual communities and the advent of the age of data.

FEB 23, 2024 Article

What Do We Mean When We Talk About "AI Democratization"?

With numerous parties calling for "AI democratization," Elizabeth Seger, director of the CASM digital policy research hub at Demos, discusses four meanings of the term.

Explore Our Democracy Resources

JUN 13, 2019 Podcast

Speech Police: The Global Struggle to Govern the Internet, with David Kaye

The original idea of the Internet was for it to be a "free speech nirvana," but in 2019, the reality is quite different. Authoritarians spread disinformation ...

Flag-map of Honduras. CREDIT: Darwinek via <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flag-map_of_Honduras.svg">Wikipedia</a>

JUN 12, 2019 Article

The DEA in Honduras: Targeting Corruption in High Places

In Honduras, activists like Edwin Espinal are among the latest victims of a government whose level of corruption has made it incompatible with democratic development. ...

JUN 11, 2019 Podcast

Global Ethics Weekly: U.S.-Russian Relations, Ukraine, & the G-20, with Nikolas Gvosdev

Following up on his talk with RAND analyst Ali Wyne on great-power competition, Senior Fellow Nikolas Gvosdev gives an update on U.S.-Russian relations, ...

Secretary of State Pompeo & President Trump at NATO headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, July 2018. CREDIT: <a href=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Secretary_Pompeo_Participates_in_Press_Conference_With_President_Trump_at_NATO_(42456753975).jpg>U.S. Department of State (CC)</a>

JUN 10, 2019 Podcast

The American Public and U.S. Global Engagement: Mid-2019 Snapshot, with Ali Wyne

Looking ahead to the 2020 election and the role that foreign policy will play on the campaign trail, Senior Fellow Nikolas Gvosdev talks with RAND's Ali ...

L to R: Henry Farrell, Stephen Del Rosso, Michael Desch. CREDIT: Billy Pickett.

JUN 5, 2019 Podcast

A Debate: Political Science is Lapsing into Irrelevance, with Michael Desch & Henry Farrell

What is the current state of the academic-policy gap and why should we care? What progress has been made in bridging this gap? What more ...

President Erdoğan & President Trump at the White House, May 2017. CREDIT: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/148748355@N05/33875862824"> Shealah Craighead/Public Domain</a>

JUN 3, 2019 Podcast

How to Lose a Country: The 7 Steps from Democracy to Dictatorship, with Ece Temelkuran

In her new book, award-winning Turkish novelist and political commentator Ece Temelkuran lays out the seven steps from democracy to dictatorship. "Some of these steps ...

JUN 3, 2019 Article

Emerging Narratives for U.S. Foreign Policy

As we continue to move into the 21st century, the "post-Cold War" designation loses relevance. Yet a new construct and narrative has not emerged to ...

MAY 29, 2019 Podcast

China's Political Influence on Democracies, with Sarah Cook & Isaac Stone Fish

China is radically expanding its strategy to wield influence in the domestic politics of other countries. This information campaign is designed partly to bolster China's ...

MAY 24, 2019 Podcast

Rebuilding the Narrative: Recreating the Rationale for U.S. Leadership, with Ash Jain

There is skepticism about the core values of U.S. policy from both sides, says Ash Jain of the Atlantic Council, and the international order ...

MAY 23, 2019 Podcast

Global Ethics Weekly: Millennials, Climate Change, & Foreign Policy, with Nikolas Gvosdev

Senior Fellow Nikolas Gvosdev discusses the generational divide in U.S. politics in the context of foreign policy and the environment. What are the international ...