Democracy & Rule of Law
Democratic Backsliding & Solutions
127 Articles
Who Will Stand Up for Human Rights in 2026 – and How?
The deterioration in human rights in 2025 heightens the risks for defenders going forward, all worsened by donors' deep funding cuts, especially those of the United States.
The Anti-Corruption Tracker: Mapping the Erosion of Oversight and Accountability
This Anti-Corruption Tracker focuses on the erosion or dismantling of oversight and accountability systems within the United States Executive Branch.
The Just Security Podcast: Can the U.S. Still Lead on Anti-Corruption? Understanding the Combating Global Corruption Act
Dani Schulkin is joined by former State Department officials Sky Miller and Adam Keith to discuss anti-corruption efforts in the U.S. and abroad.
The Trump Administration’s Use of State Power Against Media: Keeping Track of the Big Picture
Tracking the use of State power requires systematically identifying linkages between individual developments and broader trends. This interactive graphic offers one method.
Global Corruption, Local Hypocrisy: The Promises and Pitfalls of the U.S. Combating Global Corruption Act
The Combating Global Corruption Act presents an imperfect but useful opportunity to rebuild the U.S. government’s anti-corruption practices.
When Loyalties Shift: Americans’ Growing Noncooperation with Federal Abuses of Power
Americans' refusals to accept apparent abuses of power by the federal government indicate that the political winds may be starting to shift.
The Just Security Podcast: Is there a Fox in the Henhouse? A Comparative Perspective of State Capture in the U.S.
Dani Schulkin is joined by Naomi Roht-Arriaza to discuss the warning signs of state capture and grand corruption, and what can be done to push back against it.
How to End the Shadow Budget and Protect Congress’s Power of the Purse
Unless Congress reasserts control over federal spending, the balance the framers designed could collapse into a self-financing presidency.
Normalizing Far-Right Ideologies in the Western Balkans: Croatia’s Role at Home and Abroad
The Croatian government appears to be embracing far-right actions at home and abroad as it undermines neighboring Bosnia's sovereignty and democracy.
Is the U.S. Becoming a Captured State? A Comparative Perspective
Patterns of state capture in South Africa, El Salvador, Sri Lanka and Guatemala offer a cautionary guide for the United States.
Impunity by Design: Latin America’s Quiet Crisis of Accountability
Across Latin America, political elites are quietly passing laws that narrow definitions, shield allies, and block legal pathways to investigate corruption and organized crime.
U.N. Extension of EU Troops in Bosnia Obscures Fissures Reflected in Debate
The EU should firm up its policy to help Bosnia advance toward EU membership with democratic governance. Only in this way can long-term stability be assured.