Democracy Paradox

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 Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Josiah Ober is a Professor of Classics and Political Science at Stanford University and a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. He is the coauthor, along with Brook Manville, of The Civic Bargain: How Democracy Survives.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:49What is Democracy? 3:15Conditions and Constraints - 20:17Classical Democracy - 24:26Future of Democracy - 39:21Key LinksThe Civic Bargain: How Democracy Survives by Brook Manville and Josiah OberDemopolis: Democracy before Liberalism in Theory and Practice by Josiah OberLean more about Josiah OberDemocracy Paradox PodcastHow Can Democracy Survive in an Age of Discontent? Rachel Navarre and Matthew Rhodes-Purdy on Populism and Political ExtremismMarc Plattner Has Quite a Bit to Say About DemocracyMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

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 the author of Democracy or Authoritarianism: Islamist Governments in Turkey, Egypt, and Tunisia.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:31What is Islamism - 2:48Liberal and Electoralists - 19:23Role of Elites - 35:16Islamism in the Long Run - 37:09Key LinksDemocracy or Authoritarianism: Islamist Governments in Turkey, Egypt, and Tunisia by Sebnem Gumuscu"How Erdoğan’s Populism Won Again'" by Sebnem Gumuscu and Berk EsenFollow Sebnem Gumuscu on X @sebnemisbackDemocracy Paradox PodcastBerk Esen and Sebnem Gumuscu on the Disappointing Elections in Turkey… or How Democratic (or Autocratic) is Turkey Really?Shadi Hamid on Democracy, Liberalism, and the Middle EastMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

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 Beijing Rules: How China Weaponized Its Economy to Confront the World.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:48The Authoritarian Economic Statecraft of China - 3:32Trump Administration and China Policy - 22:24Another Cold War -  34:26American Options for Response - 48:16Key LinksBeijing Rules: How China Weaponized Its Economy to Confront the World by Bethany Allen"Zoom closed account of U.S.-based Chinese activist 'to comply with local law'" by Bethany AllenFollow Bethany Allen on X @BethanyAllenEbrDemocracy Paradox PodcastHal Brands Thinks China is a Declining Power… Here’s Why that’s a ProblemJosh Chin on China’s Surveillance StateMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

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 is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Katlyn Carter is an assistant professor of history at Notre Dame University. She is the author of Democracy in Darkness: Secrecy and Transparency in the Age of Revolutions.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:41The Birth of Republics - 3:10Publicity - 19:23Spectacle - 26:43Representation - 35:43Key LinksDemocracy in Darkness: Secrecy and Transparency in the Age of Revolutions by Katlyn CarterKatlyn Carter on My History Can Beat Up Your PoliticsLearn more about Katlyn CarterDemocracy Paradox PodcastHeather Cox Richardson on History, Conservatism, and the Awakening of American DemocracyDaniel Ziblatt on American Democracy, the Republican Party, and the Tyranny of the MinorityMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

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.Rachel Navarre is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and Master of Public Administration Program at Bridgewater State University. Matthew Rhodes-Purdy is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Clemson University. They are the coauthors (along with Stephen Utych) of The Age of Discontent: Populism, Extremism, and Conspiracy Theories in Contemporary Democracies.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:53What is Discontent - 3:21Crisis and Discontent - 13:34Rise of Populism - 25:13An End to Neoliberalism? - 39:20Key LinksThe Age of Discontent: Populism, Extremism, and Conspiracy Theories in Contemporary Democracies by Matthew Rhodes-Purdy, Rachel Navarre, and Stephen UtychLearn more about Rachel Navarre here.Learn more about Matthew Rhodes-Purdy here.Democracy Paradox PodcastDaniel Ziblatt on American Democracy, the Republican Party, and the Tyranny of the MinorityMarc Plattner Has Quite a Bit to Say About DemocracyMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

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 with Anita Isaacs for the Journal of Democracy called, “How Guatemala Defied the Odds." She also authored a book earlier this year called Undermining the State from Within: The Institutional Legacies of Civil War in Central America.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:33The 2023 Election - 2:46A Weak State - 17:18Democratic Backsliding - 30:53Rejuvenating Democracy - 39:39Key LinksUndermining the State from Within: The Institutional Legacies of Civil War in Central America by Rachel Schwartz"How Guatemala Defied the Odds" in Journal of Democracy by Rachel Schwartz"Guatemala: Resisting Democratic Backsliding in the Least Likely of Places?" by Rachel SchwartzDemocracy Paradox PodcastWendy Hunter on Lula, Bolsonaro, January 8th and Democracy in BrazilJennifer Piscopo on the Constitutional Chaos in ChileMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

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 Herszenhorn is the Russia, Ukraine, and Eastern Europe editor at The Washington Post and was a correspondent for Politico Europe and The New York Times. He is the author The Dissident: Alexey Navalny: Profile of a Political Prisoner.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:44Navalny as a Political Figure - 3:13Navalny and the State - 21:26Navalny and Russian Repression - 34:41Politician or Dissident? 42:45Key LinksThe Dissident: Alexey Navalny: Profile of a Political Prisoner by David Herszenhorn"Alexey Navalny Never Wanted to Be a Dissident" in Politico by David Herszenhorn"For Putin foe Alexey Navalny, Ukraine has long been a volatile issue" in The Washington Post by David HerszenhornDemocracy Paradox PodcastOlga Onuch and Henry Hale Describe the Zelensky EffectMichael McFaul and Robert Person on Putin, Russia, and the War in UkraineMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

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, Tsinghua University, and a fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. His most recent book is Warriors, Rebels, and Saints: The Art of Leadership from Machiavelli to Malcolm X.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:45What is Leadership? 3:12Powerless Leadership - 11:58Ethics of Leadership - 24:10Ordinary Leadership - 40:16Key LinksWarriors, Rebels, and Saints: The Art of Leadership from Machiavelli to Malcolm X by Moshik TemkinLearn more about Moshik TemkinFollow Moshik Temkin on X at @moshik_temkinDemocracy Paradox PodcastLarry Bartels Says Democracy Erodes from the TopMoisés Naím on the New Dynamics of Political PowerMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

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 former investigative reporter for the Philippine news company Rappler. She has received the Kate Webb Prize for exceptional journalism in dangerous conditions. Recently, she authored the book Some People Need Killing: A Memoir of Murder in My Country.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:46The Philippines and Duterte - 2:37The Drug War - 11:04Vigilantes and Police - 25:26Democracy in the Philippines - 34:11Key LinksSome People Need Killing: A Memoir of Murder in My Country by Patricia EvangelistaRead the original "Some People Need Killing" published in Rappler.comFollow Patricia Evangelista on X at @patevangelistaDemocracy Paradox PodcastMoisés Naím on the New Dynamics of Political PowerGuillermo Trejo and Sandra Ley on the Political Logic of Criminal Wars in MexicoMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

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 Young Turks and the founder, president, and CEO of its parent company TYT. He is a Democratic Party candidate for President of the United States and the author of Justice Is Coming: How Progressives Are Going to Take Over the Country and America Is Going to Love It.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:42Cenk's Presidential Campaign - 2:49Progressive Issues - 26:56Populism - 40:28Polarization - 49:17Key LinksJustice Is Coming: How Progressives Are Going to Take Over the Country and America Is Going to Love It   by Cenk UygurSupport Cenk Uygur's campaign at cenkforamerica.comCheck out The Young Turks and other TYT programs at tyt.comDemocracy Paradox PodcastHeather Cox Richardson on History, Conservatism, and the Awakening of American DemocracyDaniel Ziblatt on American Democracy, the Republican Party, and the Tyranny of the MinorityMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show