Since the Cold War’s end, most dictatorial governments have collapsed after their ruler’s departure.
Author: MAX FISHER
In a Race to Shape the Future, History Is Under New Pressure
A wave of misleading revisionism has become epidemic in both autocracies and democracies. It has been notably effective — and contagious.
U.S. Allies Drive Much of World’s Democratic Decline, Data Shows
Washington-aligned countries backslid at nearly double the rate of non-allies, data shows, complicating long-held assumptions about American influence.
In Border Crisis, Europe’s Unsavory Migration Deals Come Home
Europe has long paid other nations to keep refugees away from its borders. Now, Belarus wants something, too, and has brought migrants right to Europe’s door to get it.
France, Striving for Global Power, Still Struggles to Get It
Though often seen as vanity or pique, France’s assertiveness abroad is calibrated to manage a quandary it has faced since World War II: how to act as an independent power while depending on allies.
As Populists Decline, the Center-Left Sees Hints of a Comeback
A long-struggling political faction has seen surprising gains this year, in part because of changes wrought by the pandemic. Can it hold on to them?
As Abortion Rights Expand, the U.S. Joins a Handful of Telling Exceptions
Recent shifts on access to abortion suggest democracy and women’s rights go hand in hand — and that the inverse might be true as well.
How Will the Taliban Govern? A History of Rebel Rule Offers Clues.
Insurgents who seize power tend to be authoritarian but pragmatic, desperate for legitimacy and ruthless toward classes they see as hostile.
How Will The US Cope With Taliban Rule?
Its longtime enemy now a fact of life, Washington must choose when to shun or tolerate the group, with all the wrenching trade-offs each policy choice brings.