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 alarming 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

USS Denver and the Republic of Korea Navy in the East China Sea. CREDIT: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/us-pacific-command/13472390513">U.S. Pacific Command</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">(CC)</a>

MAY 2, 2017 Podcast

The Coming War with China? The Ethics of Confrontation in the Pacific

Are the United States and China on the brink of war? Can the two nations avoid miscalculation and instead find common ground? Find out what ...

A supporter of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy on Electioon Day, 2015, Rangoon, Myanmar. CREDIT: Van Royko

APR 26, 2017 Podcast

Democracy and the Deep State in Myanmar

In this fascinating interview, Maureen Aung-Thwin, founder of the Burma Project at Open Society Foundations, describes how the Project helped Burma's transition to democracy starting ...

APR 19, 2017 Podcast

A Conversation on Statelessness with Kristy A. Belton

There are over 10 million stateless people around the world, says researcher Kristy A. Belton, with, often, limited access to banking, education, health care, and countless ...

APR 18, 2017 Podcast

Easternization: Asia's Rise and America's Decline from Obama to Trump and Beyond

"Financial Times" chief foreign affairs commentator Gideon Rachman says, "We've reached the point where the West's grip on world affairs begins to loosen." China's economic ...

Mohammed Alam with the Manhattan Young Democrats at the Women's March in Washington, DC, January, 21, 2017.

APR 13, 2017 Podcast

Local Politics and Criminal Justice Reform with Mohammed Alam

With his roles at Center for Court Innovation, focusing on criminal justice reform, and with the Young Democrats, working to find the next generation of ...

Detail from book cover of "Toward Democracy"

APR 12, 2017 Podcast

Toward Democracy: The Struggle for Self-Rule in European and American Thought

"Democracy begins in bloodshed and it comes to life only through conflict," says Harvard's James T. Kloppenberg in this masterful talk. How have the French ...

APR 11, 2017 Podcast

"In Cambodia, 'democracy' is just a term . . ."

Phnom Penh-based human rights lawyer Sophorn Sek discusses the state of his nation's governance in this eye-opening interview. From corruption and nepotism to suspicious murders ...

Detail from book cover

APR 5, 2017 Podcast

A Question of Order: India, Turkey, and the Return of Strongmen

Journalist Basharat Peer recounts the rise of two strongmen: Erdogan in Turkey and Modi in India. What they have in common "is a lack of ...

Orville Schell. CREDIT: Amanda Ghanooni.

MAR 21, 2017 Podcast

Orville Schell on China's Role in the World

Orville Schell has been reporting on China since 1970. In this wide-ranging and insightful conversation he looks at China and the U.S. exit from TPP; ...

MAR 13, 2017 Podcast

Trump and the Intelligence Community: The View from a Former CIA Analyst

Eisenstat spent most of her government career in the background, but Trump's unorthodox CIA address convinced her to add to the public discourse in "a ...