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

MAR 4, 2016 Podcast

A Conversation with Sarah Chayes on Corruption and Global Security

Around the world from Afghanistan to Nigeria, systemic corruption is fueling instability, declares Sarah Chayes in this electrifying conversation. And the United States and other ...

Peter Sutherland, United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for International Migration.<br> CREDIT: Amanda Ghanooni

MAR 1, 2016 Podcast

The Refugee/Migrant Crisis

The migrant/refugee crisis is a defining moral issue for our generation, declares Peter Sutherland, UN special representative on international migration. And proximity should not ...

FEB 22, 2016 Podcast

Beyond a New Cold War? International Security and the Need for U.S.-Russia Cooperation

The United States must stop its demonization of President Putin, according to members of this distinguished panel, all with long associations with Russia and all ...

FEB 15, 2016 Podcast

What Went Wrong in the Arab Spring?

In the early days of the Arab Spring, non-violent civil resistance helped topple authoritarian governments in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen. Yet these apparent triumphs were ...

FEB 11, 2016 Podcast

In Europe's Shadow: Two Cold Wars and a Thirty-Year Journey Through Romania and Beyond

"What is Europe? Where is it going in this current crisis?" The answers are all here, from what Kaplan describes as the redivision of Europe ...

CREDIT: <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-225614590/stock-vector-multic-olored-mosaic-world-map-eps-cmyk-organized-by-layers-global-colors-gradients-free.html" target="_blank">Shutterstock</a>

JAN 28, 2016 Article

Values and the Ethics of International Order

At a time when U.S. primacy is in doubt, when many are concerned that China might become a global political power, when the threat ...

CREDIT: <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-126561266/stock-vector-diversity-transparent-hands-circle-isolated-over-white-eps-vector-illustration-cleanly-built.html" target="_blank">Shutterstock</a>

JAN 21, 2016 Article

The Concept of Humane Democracy and a New Global Order

"Differing from liberal democracy whose political goal is rather negatively conceived in a sense of protecting individual rights, the concept of humane democracy is envisioned ...

Jawaharlal Nehru signing the Indian Constitution in 1950.

JAN 15, 2016 Podcast

Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox Discusses the Indian Constitution

Quinnipiac professor Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox recently spent three months researching the Indian Constitution in Delhi. In this talk, she details the document's framework, its main architect ...

JAN 15, 2016 Podcast

Winter is Coming: Why Vladimir Putin and the Enemies of the Free World Must be Stopped

Garry Kasparov is an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin's authoritarianism, but he is equally critical of the United States and its allies for their unwillingness ...

Kobe, Japan after the 1945 air raid. CREDIT: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kobe_after_the_1945_air_raid.JPG" target="_blank">wikimedia</a>

JAN 12, 2016 Article

The Death of a Pacifist?: On Akiyuki Nosaka's Death

The Japanese writer Akiyuki Nosaka died last month. He is best known, internationally, for his semi-autobiographical novel "A Grave of Fireflies," made famous by Studio ...