Democracy Paradox

It was an era in which lawmakers and office holders learned that imprecision could actually work to their benefit to allow them to do what they wanted to because there was unclear codification in the law. And so yes, everybody talks about, we have to revise this law or get rid of this law or replace this law. But I want to say, it's not about that. It's about what constitutes a legitimately written, voted upon law. And I think that's something we still haven't countered since 9/11.

Karen Greenberg

A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a brief primer on the War on Terror here.

Karen Greenberg is the director of the Center on National Security at Fordham Law, a fellow at New America, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Her new book is Subtle Tools: The Dismantling of American Democracy from the War on Terror to Donald Trump.

Key Highlights Include

• The origin of the AUMF and the Department of Homeland Security
• Karen Greenberg describes the subtle tools
• The link between the War on Terror and President Trump
• How will history view the 2020 election
• Is the United States an illiberal democracy?

Key Links

Subtle Tools: The Dismantling of American Democracy from the War on Terror to Donald Trump by Karen Greenberg

Vital Interests Podcast with Karen Greenberg

Follow Karen Greenberg on Twitter @KarenGreenberg3

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Charles Kupchan on America's Tradition of Isolationism

Can America Preserve Democracy without Retreating from it? Robert C. Lieberman on the Four Threats

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Beginning in the 1990s, and then really picking up after 9/11, the United States overreached ideologically by thinking it could turn Iraq and Afghanistan into Ohio. It overreached economically by throwing open the nation's doors and saying the more trade, the better. And suddenly, I think, Americans said to themselves and to their leaders, ‘Wait a minute. Too much world, not enough America.'

Charles Kupchan

A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a brief primer on Isolationism here.

Charles Kupchan is a professor of international relations at Georgetown University and a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. He is also the author of Isolationism: A History of America's Efforts to Shield Itself from the World.

Key Highlights Include

• Isolationism's Place in America's National Identity
• The Relationship Between Isolationism and American Exceptionalism
• A Brief History of Isolationism in the United States
• Similarities Between the Rise of China and the Early United States
• Donald Trump and the Reemergence of Isolationism

Key Links

Isolationism: A History of America's Efforts to Shield Itself from the World by Charles Kupchan

Learn more about Charles Kupchan

"The Home Front: Why an Internationalist Foreign Policy Needs a Stronger Domestic Foundation" an article by Charles Kupchan in Foreign Affairs

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John Ikenberry on Liberal Internationalism

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It's not just inequality of wealth. It is not just inequality of income, which is big. It's also inequality in terms of the geographical clustering of different strata of the population, of different people. It's inequality in life experiences. It's inequality in treatment. People felt mistreated by those in the upper echelons of society. So, it's not just money. It's also access to public goods, to certain spaces in the city, to education, unemployment benefits, and all sorts of things. But also, treatment.

Aldo Madariaga

A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a brief primer on Neoliberalism here.

Aldo Madariaga is a Professor of Political Science at Universidad Diego Portales, and Associate Researcher at Center for Social Conflict and Cohesion Studies (COES). He is also the author of Neoliberal Resilience: Lessons in Democracy and Development from Latin America and Eastern Europe.

Key Highlights Include

• An Account of the Chilean Protests in 2019
• Description of Neoliberalism as a Political Project
• The Role of the State in Neoliberalism
• How does Neoliberalism Shield its Policies from Democracy
• Are Neoliberal Policies Fundamentally Undemocratic?

Key Links

Neoliberal Resilience: Lessons in Democracy and Development from Latin America and Eastern Europe by Aldo Madariaga

Learn more about Aldo Madariaga

Follow on Twitter @AldoMadariaga

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James Loxton Explains Why Authoritarian Successor Parties Succeed in Democracies

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Democracy Group

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I think this actually reflects why we've seen a coup now. Clearly, the coup has really brought serious economic devastation for the entire country and the military itself will also not benefit from this. And that to me is the key, because they're not primarily motivated just by economic incentives and spoils. As a systematic military institution, it is driven by their own identity. Their own perception of what the Myanmar modern nation state should look like.

Roger Lee Huang

A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a brief primer on Myanmar here.

Roger Lee Huang is a lecturer in terrorism studies and political violence at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia and the author of The Paradox of Myanmar’s Regime Change.

Key Highlights Include

• A brief history of modern Myanmar (Burma)
• Description of the Tatmadaw
• A portrait of Aung San Suu Kyi
• Why is the National League for Democracy (NLD) so popular
• What are the prospects for democracy in Myanmar

Key Links

The Paradox of Myanmar's Regime Change by Roger Lee Huang

Myanmar’s Way to Genocide: The Rohingya Crisis in a Disciplined Democracy - Video Lecture by Roger Lee Huang

"The Generals Strike Back" by Zoltan Barany from Journal of Democracy

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Myanmar: A Podcast Primer

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Americans are expected to take on debt, because that's how we're expected to finance everything from basic needs to a college education. And that's a function of economic policy making. That doesn't happen by accident.

Mallory SoRelle

A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.

Mallory SoRelle is an assistant professor of public policy at Duke University and the author of Democracy Declined: The Failed Politics of Consumer Financial Protection.

Key Highlights Include

• How the American economy depends on credit
• A brief history of consumer credit in America
• Details why consumer debt is a systemic problem
• Why financial consumers do not politically mobilize 
• Explains how public policy shapes political behavior

Key Links

Democracy Declined: The Failed Politics of Consumer Financial Protection by Mallory SoRelle

Learn more about Mallory SoRelle

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

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Sheryl WuDunn Paints a Picture of Poverty in America and Offers Hope for Solutions

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Democracy Group

Apes of the State created all Music

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This was not a phenomenon to one specific region. This was nothing that got invented in one place and at one time. It seems to have emerged independently in a wide, wide variety of human societies at different points in time. And to me, that sounds like something that occurs naturally.

David Stasavage

A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.

David Stasavage is the Dean of Social Sciences and a Professor of Politics at New York University. His latest book is called The Decline and Rise of Democracy.

Key Highlights Include

• A description of early democracy with an example of the Huron people
• Why autocracy arose through the example of Ancient China
• How bureaucracy and the state changed governance
• How English history shaped modern democracy
• What modern democracy can learn from early forms of democracy

Key Links

The Decline and Rise of Democracy by David Stasavage

Learn more about David Stasavage

Follow David on Twitter @stasavage

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Daniel Carpenter Revisits the Petition in 19th Century America

Michael Hughes on the History of Democracy in Germany

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Democracy Group

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The police is even acting directly against the minorities and the Delhi riots of 2020 showed that the police could be on their side in the street in their rioting activities. This is exactly the same in other BGP ruled states like Uttar Pradesh. Now you have indeed a kind of new shift, if you want. It's not only with the blessing of the state. It’s also with the active participation of the state.

Christophe Jaffrelot

A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.

Christophe Jaffrelot is a director of research at Sciences Po and a professor of Indian politics and sociology at King’s College. His latest book is Modi's India: Hindu Nationalism and the Rise of Ethnic Democracy.

Key Highlights Include

• Description of Hindutva or Hindu Nationalism
• A brief account of the RSS
• An account of the Ayodhya Temple Controversy
• Explains how Narendra Modi came to power
• Prospects for the future of Indian democracy

Key Links

Modi's India: Hindu Nationalism and the Rise of Ethnic Democracy by Christophe Jaffrelot

"Toward a Hindu State" by Christophe Jaffrelot in the Journal of Democracy

Follow Christophe on Twitter @jaffrelotc

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Democracy Group

Apes of the State created all Music

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It really matters how you set up conflict and how you talk about the issue and above all how you talk about your adversary. That's where I see the decisive difference between those who tend to invoke the people, the common good and et cetera, in a way that is compatible with democracy and then those who talk in a way that, ultimately, is bound to be dangerous for democracy.

Jan-Werner Müller

A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.

Jan is a professor of Social Sciences at Princeton University. He is the author of the books What is Populism? and Democracy Rules.

Key Highlights Include

• What does it mean to be undemocratic in a democracy
• Why populism threatens democracy
• Role of conflict in democracy
• What is militant democracy and is it democratic
• Role of the majority and opposition in democracy

 Key Links

Democracy Rules by Jan-Werner Müller

What is Populism? by Jan-Werner Müller

"False Flags" from Foreign Affairs by Jan-Werner Müller

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Democracy Group

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They wanted the full array of rights. Political rights, yes, they were active in the suffrage movement, but they also wanted economic rights and social rights. They wanted to lessen inequalities. They also wanted the rights of mothers and of children advanced.

Dorothy Sue Cobble

A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.

Dorothy Sue Cobble is the Distinguished Professor of History and Labor Studies Emerita at Rutgers University and the author of For the Many: American Feminists and the Global Fight for Democratic Equality.

Key Highlights Include

• Dorothy explains who the full rights feminists were and what they advocated for
• Profiles of full rights feminists like Frances Perkins
• How full rights feminism influenced the New Deal
• A brief history of the conflicts between full rights feminists and equal rights feminists over the Equal Rights Amendment
• A profile of early Japanese feminist Tanaka Taka

Key Links

For the Many: American Feminists and the Global Fight for Democratic Equality by Dorothy Sue Cobble

Visit Dorothy at www.dorothysuecobble.com

Learn about the Triangle Shirtwaist Workers Strike

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Democracy is about more than elections. Election day is very important, but what is happening in the country every other day is an integral part to what a democracy is and if you think about the fundamental freedoms that we think of in our own democracy: free speech, freedom of religion, freedom of association and assembly, also things like the independence of the judiciary, these are all things that are on the civil liberties side.

Sarah Repucci

A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.

Sarah Repucci is the Vice President of Research and Analysis at Freedom House and coauthor (alongside  Amy Slipowitz) of the executive summary of the report Freedom in the World 2021: Democracy Under Siege.

* Note * Sarah's mic died early in the interview. The audio quality is not bad, but will sound different. Hopefully it does not take away from the quality of the interview.

Key Highlights Include

• Why democracy continues its steady decline
• The influence of China and the U.S. on global democracy
• The role of civil liberties in democracy
• Impact of the pandemic on democracy
• Discussion of democracy in India, Kyrgyzstan, Sudan, and the United States

Key Links

Read the landmark report from Freedom House Freedom in the World 2021: Democracy Under Siege

Visit Freedom House online at www.freedomhouse.org

Follow Freedom House on Twitter @freedomhouse

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Democracy Group

Apes of the State created all Music

Email the show at [email protected]

Follow me on Twitter @DemParadox

100 Books on Democracy

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