Civic Forum

In this week’s session of The Civic Forum, Rory is joined by Princeton professor Kim Lane Scheppele, who explains how Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz Party consolidated power in Hungary — and how Donald Trump and his allies are adopting Orbán’s authoritarian playbook in the United States through Project 2025.Key topics:- How Orbán dismantled Hungary’s democracy in just three years.-The direct connections between Orbán’s network and Project 2025 in the U.S.-How Trump is adapting Orbán’s strategies to American institutions.-What Democrats can do to fight back without embracing authoritarianism. Long-term reforms that could help restore U.S. democracy.

In this week's session, Rory is joined by Erica Chenoweth, a professor in the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and one the country's leading experts on social movements and nonviolent resistance. Erica provides opening remarks about what we know about when social movements and nonviolent resistance are effective. They then provide an assessment of the state of the pro-democracy movement in the United States, highlighting the importance of building momentum and the role of small protests. The conversation closes with a discussion of why ideas matter for a social movement, and how the current movement needs to be about more than just "anti-Trump."

In this week's session, Rory Truex is joined by Princeton Professor Mark Beissinger, an expert on Russia and post-communist countries. Mark provides an update on the state of the war in Ukraine, focusing on the political calculations of Putin, Zelenskyy, and Trump. Mark and Rory then discuss the possibility for peace and the relationships between Trump and Putin. The conversation closes with an assessment of the pro-democracy movement in the United States, where Mark draws on his research on social movements.

In this week's session, Rory Truex is joined by Princeton Professor Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor for a short lecture about MAGA, Race, and Black History. Keeanga's opening remarks focus on how race is being constructed differently in the second Trump administration. Keeanga and Rory discuss how Critical Race Theory has been recoded and misrepresented. The conversation closes with strategies to promote cross-racial working class solidarity and thoughts on where the pro-democracy movement can go from here.

In this week's session, Rory Truex is joined by NYU Professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a leading scholar of fascism and author of the popular book Strongmen. Ruth focuses her opening remarks on what's innovative about Trump's authoritarian playbook. The conversation then turns to the distinction between conservatism and authoritarianism and the growing moral bankruptcy of the Republican Party. Ruth and Rory then discuss what's different about the U.S. and whether American democracy can withstand Trump's assault. The conversation closes with advice for people on what they can do at a time like this.

The Civic Forum is a video podcast about democracy, featuring people who study it, practice it, and work to protect it. It is hosted by Rory Truex, Associate Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University.