Is American Democracy Really Under Threat?
The country’s turbulent politics, in perspective
-
![]()
Marko Djurica / Reuters Why Conservative Parties Are Central to Democracy
The right has repeatedly acted as a “hinge of history,” one political scientist says.
-
![]()
Miraflores Palace / Reuters How Populism Helped Wreck Venezuela
The story of how the country went from cheap fridges to no food is about more than socialism and corruption.
-
![]()
Eric Gaillard / Reuters Is France's Political Crisis Just Beginning?
The greatest challenge facing Emmanuel Macron isn’t ISIS or the economy, but something more basic: governing.
-
![]()
Emmanuel Foudrot / Reuters Russia's Interference in the U.S. Election Was Just the Beginning
Democracies across the West are vulnerable to foreign influence—and some are under attack.
-
![]()
Gonzalo Fuentes / Reuters How Populism Took Root in France
It’s not about the rise of the far right. It’s about the collapse of both left and right.
-
![]()
Yagiz Karahan / Reuters Turkey’s Referendum: How Democracies Decline
Sometimes, it’s not with a coup, but with a vote.
-
![]()
Jonathan Ernst / Reuters What Is a Populist?
And is Donald Trump one?
-
![]()
Rick Wilking / Reuters How Democracies Lose in Cyberwar
In 2016, Russia used the American system against itself.
-
![]()
Susan Walsh / AP ‘What the Russians Did Was Utterly Unprecedented’
The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee criticizes Donald Trump, and the leader and members of his own party, for mishandling a “grave danger” to the republic.
-
![]()
Kevin Lamarque / Reuters Obama Makes the Case for Democracy, in the Land Where It Was Born
“Any action by a president, or any result of an election, or any legislation that has proven flawed can be corrected.”
-
![]()
Jim Young / Reuters ‘American Democracy Is More Than One Election’
International election observers assess the state of U.S. politics.
-
![]()
Reuters Democracy Depends on the Consent of the Losers
What happens if Donald Trump is defeated?
-
![]()
Mike Blake / Reuters American Elections: How Long Is Too Long?
The upside of the endless presidential race
-
![]()
Brendan McDermid / Reuters The Most Important Question Lester Holt Asked
“One of you will not win this election,” the debate moderator told Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. What then?
-
![]()
Abriawan Abhe / Antara Foto / Reuters How Indonesia Beat Back Terrorism—for Now
One theory for why ISIS hasn’t gained traction in the world's largest Muslim-majority country
-
![]()
Baz Ratner / Reuters Erdogan’s Final Agenda
Where does Turkey go from here?
-
![]()
Neil Hall / Reuters Should the Brexit Vote Have Happened at All?
Critics claim British voters were unqualified to decide such a complicated issue. But democracy itself isn’t the problem.
-
![]()
Reuters ‘The Totalitarian Regime Is Intact’: One Cuban’s Message to Obama
The U.S. is pressing ahead with its opening to Cuba. What does that mean for democracy on the island?
-
![]()
Antara Photo Agency / Reuters The Meaningless Politics of Liberal Democracies
The desire for theocracy in the Muslim world can be partly understood through the failures of Western secularism.
-
![]()
Ueslei Marcelino / Reuters The Origins of Brazil’s Turmoil
From Lord Latimer to Bill Clinton, impeachment has always been political. But how political is too political?
