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.
Ancient Greece Had Hard Lessons on Partisan ‘Stasis’
For the Greeks, factionalism and civil strife went together.
India’s Green Revolution Sowed the Seeds of Today’s Meltdown
Farmers are protesting against more than Modi’s agricultural laws. They’ll keep going until he understands that.
To Face Off Against China, Copy Its Playbook
Biden should unite allies with a giant “Made in the Free World” project.
Seeking Truth From Fiction
The provocative short stories in “Land of Big Numbers” offer a window into ordinary life in China with rich material from a reporter’s notebook.
Meet Biden’s Middle East Team
Brett McGurk, who served under Bush, Obama, and Trump, is bringing aboard a Middle East team to the National Security Council that includes several former staffers from the U.S.-led campaign against the Islamic State.
How Eight Pacific Island States Are Saving the World’s Tuna
They have created a strikingly successful scheme that prevents overfishing and raises local incomes at once.
The Cost of Brazil’s COVID-19 Chaos
As deaths shoot up, the country’s data blackout and new variant put the whole world at risk.
China Signals Economic Caution at People’s Congress
An official projection of over 6 percent growth in the coming year is below economist estimates as the rest of the world still reels from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Who’s to Blame for Stalling U.S.-Iran Negotiations?
Biden was expected to revive the nuclear deal quickly—but as pro-Iran militias attack U.S. forces in Iraq and Washington strikes back in Syria, direct talks aren’t on the horizon.
Britain Shouldn’t Put Its Money on a Post-Brexit Rapprochement With Africa
Boris Johnson is looking to old U.K. colonies for trade deals, but his government can’t compete with China and won’t get far until it abandons its neocolonial attitudes.
Galleries
The Week in World Photos
Global protests against government-imposed lockdowns, gang violence in El Salvador, and hat tips to medical staff.
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.
In the Magazine
In the Magazine
How to Save Global Capitalism From Itself
Decentralizing decision-making can help left-behind regions get back on track.
Britain’s Post-Brexit Identity Crisis
Boris Johnson has contradictory ideas for his country’s future—and no clear paths for getting there.
The Ugly End of Chimerica
The coronavirus pandemic has turned a conscious uncoupling into a messy breakup.
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.