Democratic Backsliding

Harvard HKS

The early 21st Century has seen warning signals that peoples in every part of the world face clear and present danger from liberal democratic backsliding and authoritarian resurgence. No challenge facing America is greater. Meanwhile authoritarian states have commonly become more repressive at home and emboldened abroad, challenging Western alliances and the rules-based liberal world order.Part I in this course opens by discussing the concept, classification, and measurement of democratic and…