Democracy Lab

About Democracy Lab

Democracy Lab is Foreign Policy's home for coverage of transitions to democracy, published in partnership with the Legatum Institute. Democracy Lab also runs Transitions, a blog featuring on-the-ground coverage of transitioning countries.

Editor, Christian Caryl
Assistant Editor, Ilya Lozovsky

Learn more about Democracy Lab here.

Russian soldiers train at a military camp.
Russian soldiers train at a military camp.

Russia’s Military Cruelty Begins With Its Own Conscripts

Brutal hazing breaks and humiliates Russian soldiers—and they take it out on civilians.

Argument
Kristaps Andrejsons
A grid collage shows photos of world leaders in profile, including Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, and, former U.S. President Donald Trump. These photos are layered over an illustration of Julius Caesar in the background.
A grid collage shows photos of world leaders in profile, including Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, and, former U.S. President Donald Trump. These photos are layered over an illustration of Julius Caesar in the background.

The Original Authoritarian

A new book looks at how Julius Caesar’s legacy informs the strongmen of today.

Review
Daniel W. Drezner
Hong Kong’s Star Ferry
Hong Kong’s Star Ferry

What Cities Can Tell Us About Geopolitics

A tour of five metropolises, from Vienna to Mosul.

Flash Points
Chloe Hadavas
An illustration shows the lopped off lower half of the globe with a diverse group of people holding it up from below for a story about the term "the global south."
An illustration shows the lopped off lower half of the globe with a diverse group of people holding it up from below for a story about the term "the global south."

Is There Such Thing as a Global South?

The category is emotionally powerful but fundamentally flawed.

Analysis
C. Raja Mohan
President-elect Javier Milei laughs with lawmakers at the National Congress for the official announcement of the final vote count on Nov. 29 in Buenos Aires.
President-elect Javier Milei laughs with lawmakers at the National Congress for the official announcement of the final vote count on Nov. 29 in Buenos Aires.

What Milei’s Dollarization Plan Would Mean for Argentina’s Economy

The president-elect has pledged to curb runaway inflation.

Insider
Cameron Abadi, Adam Tooze
Presidential candidate Javier Milei arrives at his closing rally ahead of Sunday runoff on Nov. 16, 2023 in Cordoba, Argentina.
Presidential candidate Javier Milei arrives at his closing rally ahead of Sunday runoff on Nov. 16, 2023 in Cordoba, Argentina.

Javier Milei Is the World’s Latest Wannabe Fascist

Argentina’s new populist president takes after Trump and Bolsonaro by seeking to destroy democracy from within.

Argument
Federico Finchelstein
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo speaks at an event on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders' Week in San Francisco, California.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo speaks at an event on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders' Week in San Francisco, California.

Commerce Needs Cash to Curb China’s Chips

Economic statecraft needs to be resourced to compete with China, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo tells FP. 

Report
Robbie Gramer, Rishi Iyengar
Paraguayan President Santiago Peña, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou pose for an official photo during the second day of the Mercosur summit in Rio de Janeiro on Dec. 7.
Paraguayan President Santiago Peña, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou pose for an official photo during the second day of the Mercosur summit in Rio de Janeiro on Dec. 7.

The Mercosur-EU Trade Deal Fails to Launch

Last-minute opposition from Argentina and France doomed negotiations over 20 years in the making.

Latin America Brief
Catherine Osborn
Kerch Bridge on fire
Kerch Bridge on fire

The Shortest Path to Victory in Ukraine Goes Through Crimea

The West needs to keep its nerve, recognize the stakes, and support Kyiv’s clearest path to victory.

Argument
Luke Coffey, Peter Rough
Mothers sit in a row with their babies and young children inside a large tent illuminated with string lights. One of the women sitting in the foreground has a wide smile as she looks down at the baby she cradles in her arms.
Mothers sit in a row with their babies and young children inside a large tent illuminated with string lights. One of the women sitting in the foreground has a wide smile as she looks down at the baby she cradles in her arms.

New Lifesaving Malaria Vaccines Need to Be Available Now

Emergency deployment could save tens of thousands of children.

Argument
Zacharia Kafuko
Then-Secretary of State John Kerry talks with China’s special representative on climate change, Xie Zhenhua, during the COP21 climate change summit in Le Bourget, north of Paris.
Then-Secretary of State John Kerry talks with China’s special representative on climate change, Xie Zhenhua, during the COP21 climate change summit in Le Bourget, north of Paris.

The Climate Envoys Who Could
Profile
Lili Pike
Biden delivers remarks from a lectern in the Roosevelt Room of the White House.
Biden delivers remarks from a lectern in the Roosevelt Room of the White House.

It’s Time to Reconsider U.S. Military Aid
Argument
Howard W. French
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Robert Wood speaks during a U.N. Security Council meeting.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Robert Wood speaks during a U.N. Security Council meeting.

U.N. Security Council Fails to Approve Cease-Fire in Gaza
World Brief
Alexandra Sharp
People wade along a flooded street in Chennai, India.
People wade along a flooded street in Chennai, India.

What in the World?
Quiz
Drew Gorman
A Palestinian is seen from behind as they look outside through a large broken window. Some shards of fractured glass remain in the frame, but the rest of the opening reveals dark smoke billowing from a dense street of buildings in Gaza City. The sky is otherwise light but hazy.
A Palestinian is seen from behind as they look outside through a large broken window. Some shards of fractured glass remain in the frame, but the rest of the opening reveals dark smoke billowing from a dense street of buildings in Gaza City. The sky is otherwise light but hazy.

How Will This War End? How Can the Next One be Prevented?
Roundup
Zaha Hassan, Daniel C. Kurtzer, Omar M. Dajani, Diana Buttu, Peter R. Mansoor, Daniel Levy, Ehud Olmert, Eugene Kontorovich, Elliott Abrams
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (back) greets U.S. President Joe Biden upon his arrival at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (back) greets U.S. President Joe Biden upon his arrival at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport.

Why Israel Needs America’s Tough Love
Argument
Yagil Levy
Displaced Palestinians set up camp near warehouses affiliated with the United Nations in southern Gaza.
Displaced Palestinians set up camp near warehouses affiliated with the United Nations in southern Gaza.

U.N. Chief Demands Immediate Cease-Fire in Gaza
World Brief
Alexandra Sharp
From left to right: Republican presidential candidates Chris Christie, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, and Vivek Ramaswamy participate in a presidential primary debate at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
From left to right: Republican presidential candidates Chris Christie, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, and Vivek Ramaswamy participate in a presidential primary debate at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

4 Foreign Policy Takeaways From the Latest Republican Presidential Debate
Situation Report
Robbie Gramer, Jack Detsch
Venezuelan Defense Minister Gen. Vladímir Padrino López reads flyer on the Venezuela-Guyana territorial dispute.
Venezuelan Defense Minister Gen. Vladímir Padrino López reads flyer on the Venezuela-Guyana territorial dispute.

Why Is Venezuela Threatening a Land-Grab War in Latin America?
Explainer
Alexandra Sharp
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attend a welcoming ceremony in Saudi Arabia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attend a welcoming ceremony in Saudi Arabia.

Putin Makes a Rare Middle East Trip
World Brief
Alexandra Sharp
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to the crowd as he stands in a float during a campaign event. Modi wears a black vest with a scarf and hat in the orange-and-green colors of the Indian flag. The float is also decorated with orange flowers and photos of Modi, and he is flanked by security officers and other members of his party.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to the crowd as he stands in a float during a campaign event. Modi wears a black vest with a scarf and hat in the orange-and-green colors of the Indian flag. The float is also decorated with orange flowers and photos of Modi, and he is flanked by security officers and other members of his party.

India’s BJP Scores as National Elections Loom
South Asia Brief
Michael Kugelman
Israeli military vehicles drive near the border with the Gaza Strip on Dec. 6 as black smoke rises in the Palestinian territory amid continuing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas.
Israeli military vehicles drive near the border with the Gaza Strip on Dec. 6 as black smoke rises in the Palestinian territory amid continuing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

Why Israel Will Probably End Up Reoccupying Gaza
Analysis
Steven A. Cook

Trending

  1. Russia’s Military Cruelty Begins With Its Own Conscripts
    Argument
    Kristaps Andrejsons

  2. It’s Time to Reconsider Turkey’s NATO Membership
    Argument
    Sinan Ciddi

  3. The Untold Story of Vienna’s Global Influence
    Review
    Emily Schultheis

  4. The True Power Center of Germany Isn’t Berlin
    Argument
    Alexander Clarkson

  5. The Shortest Path to Victory in Ukraine Goes Through Crimea
    Argument
    Luke Coffey, Peter Rough

  6. America Is a Heartbeat Away From a War It Could Lose
    Shadow Government
    A. Wess Mitchell

  7. What Ridley Scott’s ‘Napoleon’ Gets Wrong About War
    Review
    Franz-Stefan Gady

  8. Why Is Venezuela Threatening a Land-Grab War in Latin America?
    Explainer
    Alexandra Sharp

  9. The Global Credibility Gap
    Essay
    Jared Cohen, Ian Bremmer

  10. The Climate Envoys Who Could
    Profile
    Lili Pike

Galleries

Protesters—many of them armed—try to enter the Michigan House of Representatives chamber and are stopped by state police during a protest April 30 demanding that businesses be reopened. An “American Patriot Rally” organized by Michigan United for Liberty was held earlier in the day on the steps of the state Capitol in Lansing. JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images
Protesters—many of them armed—try to enter the Michigan House of Representatives chamber and are stopped by state police during a protest April 30 demanding that businesses be reopened. An “American Patriot Rally” organized by Michigan United for Liberty was held earlier in the day on the steps of the state Capitol in Lansing. JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images

The Week in World Photos

Global protests against government-imposed lockdowns, gang violence in El Salvador, and hat tips to medical staff.

Diana D'Abruzzo
Muslims offer prayers on April 23, the first night of Ramadan, in Bireuen, Indonesia. AMANDA JUFRIAN/AFP via Getty Images
Muslims offer prayers on April 23, the first night of Ramadan, in Bireuen, Indonesia. AMANDA JUFRIAN/AFP via Getty Images

The Week in World Photos

A prayerful start to Ramadan, medical workers on the front lines of a pandemic, and the annual Lyrids meteor shower.

Diana D'Abruzzo

Latest

In the Magazine

Current Issue: Spring 2020 Archives

In the Magazine

Current Issue: Spring 2020 Archives
foreign-policy-magazine-cover-coronavirus-globalization-spring-2020
foreign-policy-magazine-cover-coronavirus-globalization-spring-2020
deglobalization-localization-lego-globe-ben-fearnley
deglobalization-localization-lego-globe-ben-fearnley

How to Save Global Capitalism From Itself

Decentralizing decision-making can help left-behind regions get back on track.

Essay
Raghuram Rajan
brexit-deglobalization-brian-stauffer-illustration
brexit-deglobalization-brian-stauffer-illustration

Britain’s Post-Brexit Identity Crisis

Boris Johnson has contradictory ideas for his country’s future—and no clear paths for getting there.

Argument
James Crabtree

The Ugly End of Chimerica

The coronavirus pandemic has turned a conscious uncoupling into a messy breakup.

Argument
Orville Schell

The 3 Most Polarizing Words in India

“Jai Shri Ram” was meant to be a celebration of a Hindu deity. But the phrase is turning into hate speech—and a dog whistle for attacks on Muslims.

Decoder
Snigdha Poonam
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