Save Democracy

The big picture of what is happening in the world re democratic backsliding, and the rise of autocracy. Cathryn Grothe, Senior Analyst from Freedom House, gives a masterful overview, revealing the key trends, what the alternative is to democracy (!) and concrete ways we can engage locally to help support democracy where we live.

Note: During the interview, Cathryn refers to the (Save Democracy) podcast episode: "The secret weapon of a modern autocrat", broadcast on May 23, 2026.

Cathryn Grothe is a Senior Research Analyst at Freedom House. She is the research manager and co-author of Freedom House’s flagship report, Freedom in the World, which is an annual survey of political rights and civil liberties in 208 countries and territories.

Cathryn’s research focuses on the intersection of democracy, technology, and human rights, and her analysis has been published and cited in Al-Jazeera, The Washington Post, Politico, and Just Security, among many. Cathryn holds a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Chicago.

Freedom House

Freedom House is a nongovernmental organization founded in 1941, devoted to defending democracy and freedom around the world. From 1973, Freedom House has systematically tracked the most pressing threats to democracy and freedom around the globe through the Freedom in the World reports, which include detailed research on the state of political rights and civil liberties in more than 200 countries and territories.

Freedom House also conducts research on issues related to technology and democracy, transnational repression, and the repressive rule of Chinese Communist Party. Their research informs the organization’s advocacy and programming, which includes direct support of activists and human rights defenders around the world. It's HQ is in Washington DC in the United States.

The Save Democracy podcast is on youtube and wherever you get your podcasts.

The podcast website is at savedemocracy.today

The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this podcast are for general informational purposes only and should not be considered professional, legal or political advice. Reliance on any information provided in this podcast is done at your own risk. Always consult with a qualified professional or local officials for specific advice tailored to your situation.

The views and opinions expressed by the guest in this podcast are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, positions, or policies of the host or the production company.

Links to external resources, as well as any screenshots, audio clips, music clips, or images included in this episode, are provided for reference and illustrative purposes only. The inclusion of such materials does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement of this podcast or its content by the original creators, copyright holders, or associated entities.

This episode of Save Democracy was edited by Katherine Davies and Mykhailo Rebrystyi.

Credits

Music track from Uppbeat is 'Niafunke' by Arnito.

All images are unmodified, apart from text that has been added (solely by Save Democracy) to translate and explain an image. Images with a CC license are so indicated, and the license links are below this list.

Screenshots from Freedom House; Viktor Orban by Elekes Andor (CC by-sa 4.0); Donald Trump by CTSP2020 (CC by-sa 4.0); Nicolas Maduro and Vladimir Putin by Kremlin.ru (CC 4.0); Moscow street at night by Evgeniy Isaev (CC 2.0); El Salvador, Nayib Bukele by PresidenciaSV (CC 1.0); El Salvador armed forces on truck by Casa Presidencial El Salvador (CC 1.0); 2024 election El Salvador opposition by La Prensa Grafica (CC 3.0); screenshot from Human Rights Watch article "A 20-Year Sentence for Tweets in Saudi Arabia"; Vladimir Putin by Kremlin.ru (CC 4.0); Moscow protest by Sergey Korneev (CC by-sa 4.0); vigil image by Stephanie Keith; screenshot from the Guardian of article by Shaun Walker - "The murder that killed free media in Russia" with image by Pavel Golovkin/AP; screenshot from CNN of article by Donie O'Sullivan, Curt Devine and Allison Gordon - "China is using the world's largest known online disinformation operation to harass Americans, a CNN review finds"; Special Military Operation banner [in Russian] from Russia's Ministry of Defence (CC 4.0); Visual identity/cover of "Conversations about Important Things" [in Russian] by edu.gov.ru (CC 4.0); Thimpu, Bhutan, image with crowd, by Chandan Chaurasia on Unsplash; Thimpu, Bhutan nestled in green valley, by Passang Tobgay on Unsplash.

CC 1.0, CC 2.0, CC 3.0, CC 4.0, CC by-sa 4.0

In this episode, I speak to Arsen Yatsenko, a long-time community organiser in Ukraine, and now a fifth year PhD candidate, with research focused on community and local NGOs (in Ukraine), at Poland's Wroclaw University. His journey offers remarkable insights into what it's like to step from relative isolation to engaging in your community, and how it can change your life. Informed by his research* and experiences, he also shares insights into how stronger communities have come to underpin the civil Ukrainian response to the Russian invasion, including the resistance in occupied Ukraine.

(*His PhD focus is on how Ukrainian communities have been affected by the war, and examines the reintegration of populations in the regained territories of Ukraine since 2014)

Podcast website is savedemocracy.today

The Save Democracy podcast is now on Youtube

The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this podcast are for general informational purposes only and should not be considered professional, legal or political advice. Reliance on any information provided in this podcast is done at your own risk. Always consult with a qualified professional or local officials for specific advice tailored to your situation.

The views and opinions expressed by the guest in this podcast are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, positions, or policies of the host or the production company.

Links to external resources, as well as any screenshots, audio clips, music clips, or images included in this episode, are provided for reference and illustrative purposes only. The inclusion of such materials does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement of this podcast or its content by the original creators, copyright holders, or associated entities.

Music from Uppbeat: Niafunké by Arnito

In this episode, you'll get a sense of what life is like under a junta—what it feels like when your country (Myanmar) sits at or near the bottom of the global democracy indices, along with Afghanistan and North Korea.

For safety reasons, we have employed a voice actor to protect his identity.

Towards the end of the interview with the source, when I asked him a question which was very hard to ask... he was in tears. But he soon regained his composure, determined to share what's going on. He said, so few people he meets are aware of the conditions of life there.

Please consider sharing this episode.

The podcast website is savedemocracy.today

Update: This podcast is now on Youtube

The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this podcast are for general informational purposes only and should not be considered professional, legal or political advice. Reliance on any information provided in this podcast is done at your own risk. Always consult with a qualified professional or local officials for specific advice tailored to your situation.

The views and opinions expressed by the guest in this podcast are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, positions, or policies of the host or the production company.

Links to external resources, as well as any screenshots, audio clips, music clips, or images included in this episode, are provided for reference and illustrative purposes only. The inclusion of such materials does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement of this podcast or its content by the original creators, copyright holders, or associated entities.

Music from Uppbeat: One Day, Somewhere by Abstract Aprils; Memories Long Gone by AVBE; Cloud Recesses by DADA; Hymn by The Magical Egg; The Fallout by Future Forests; and Winter Blues by Adi Goldstein.

Modern autocrats use a sophisticated toolbox, and one of the most powerful and covert set of strategies, is how they use something we all rely on, and many of us don't often think about. In this episode, I speak to an expert on how autocrats, behind a cloak of legitimacy, use the law to dismantle democracy and entrench their regimes.

They count on you and me to look the other way.

Enjoy clarity on this important subject with Dr Regitze H. Rohlfing, Deputy Director at Nyt Europa and Board member of the Civil Liberties Union for Europe. Regitze holds a PhD in the sociology of law from the University of Copenhagen and has published widely on democratic backsliding, social movements, and the use of law to advance rights. She has conducted extensive fieldwork in Eastern Europe and North Africa and is a lead author on multiple reports on civic space and democracy. She is a frequent public speaker and media commentator on European politics and fundamental rights.

A video of this episode is on our new youtube channel @SaveDemocracypodcast

The pod website is savedemocracy.today

The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this podcast are for general informational purposes only and should not be considered professional, legal or political advice. Reliance on any information provided in this podcast is done at your own risk. Always consult with a qualified professional or local officials for specific advice tailored to your situation.

The views and opinions expressed by the guest in this podcast are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, positions, or policies of the host or the production company.

Links to external resources, as well as any screenshots, audio clips, music clips, or images included in this episode, are provided for reference and illustrative purposes only. The inclusion of such materials does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement of this podcast or its content by the original creators, copyright holders, or associated entities.

Music by Uppbeat, includes Niafunke by Arnito, Reawakening by Terra Symphonia, City on Mute by Dan Barton and Closing A Chapter by poetri.

Corruption corrodes democracy. Podcast host and creator Katherine Davies joins international anti-corruption specialist Scott Collins as he explores how corruption works and what can be done about it.

Now based in Canberra, Scott's twenty years in the field has taken him to Papua New Guinea, West Africa, and the Carribean, as a criminal justice advisor specialising in anti-corruption capacity development, and he has worked in several anti-corruption commissions in Australia.

If you enjoy this episode, please help others find us by leaving a brief review or rating, on your podcast platform. It's a huge support for a new podcast.

Thank you for listening!

Podcast website: https://www.savedemocracy.today/

Update: The Save Democracy podcast is now available on youtube (and wherever you get your podcasts).

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SaveDemocracypodcast

Please note - The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this podcast are for general informational purposes only and should not be considered professional, legal or political advice. Reliance on any information provided in this podcast is done at your own risk. Always consult with a qualified professional or local officials for specific advice tailored to your situation.

The views and opinions expressed by the guest in this podcast are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, positions, or policies of the host or the production company.

Links to external resources, as well as any screenshots, audio clips, music clips, or images included in this episode, are provided for reference and illustrative purposes only. The inclusion of such materials does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement of this podcast or its content by the original creators, copyright holders, or associated entities.

Notes

Definition of gerrymander: to change the borders of an area in order to increase the number of people within that area who will vote for a particular party or person (Cambridge Dictionary)

Music from Uppbeat: Niafunke by Arnito, One Day Somewhere by Abstract Aprils, Cuban Sandwich by Kevin MacLeod.

Mentioned in this episode:

Intro: Corruption episode

Music: 'One Day Somewhere' by Abstract Aprils (Uppbeat)

Today's guest is civic leader Artem Zozulia, President of Foundation Ukraine in Wroclaw, Poland. A dedicated voice for Ukrainian democracy for nearly two decades, Artem's journey began as a youth volunteer in his hometown of Vinnytsia in central Ukraine, challenging Russian propaganda, and campaigning for a pro-European future.

Today, the foundation he leads serves as a vital lifeline, helping refugees and migrants build new lives while providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine, and raising wider awareness about human rights and the social and political realities inside Ukraine. The Foundation has grown into one of Poland's largest of its kind.

In our interview, Artem shares many insights, including what it was like to be raised in post-Soviet Ukraine, the real meaning and gift of "Maidan", and unravelling the deep-seated fear of being heard.

Update: The Save Democracy podcast is now available on youtube (and wherever you get your podcasts).

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SaveDemocracypodcast

The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this podcast are for general informational purposes only and should not be considered professional, legal or political advice. Reliance on any information provided in this podcast is done at your own risk. Always consult with a qualified professional or local officials for specific advice tailored to your situation.

The views and opinions expressed by the guest in this podcast are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, positions, or policies of the host or the production company.

Links to external resources, as well as any screenshots, audio clips, music clips, or images included in this episode, are provided for reference and illustrative purposes only. The inclusion of such materials does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement of this podcast or its content by the original creators, copyright holders, or associated entities.

Music from Uppbeat: Niafunke by Arnito, Puzzle Pieces by Albert Behar, Calm Whale by Danijel Zambo, One Day Somewhere by Abstract Aprils, Forever and Always by Aaron Paul Low, Old Soul by Jonny Easton

Welcome!

Pod host/creator Katherine Davies: I stopped recently into a student cafe in the centre of Copenhagen (thank you to the staff at Studenterhuset!) to find out what it's like to live in a healthy democracy - Denmark is one of the top 3 in the world*. University students Sarah, Hamza and Mathias graciously stopped what they were doing, and what followed, was an insightful and inspiring conversation! I am grateful to these wonderful students for their thoughtfulness, openness and readiness to engage.

*According to the main global democracy indices, provided by V‑Dem Institute, Freedom House and the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Update: The Save Democracy podcast is now available on youtube (and wherever you get your podcasts).

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SaveDemocracypodcast

The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this podcast are for general informational purposes only and should not be considered professional, legal or political advice. Reliance on any information provided in this podcast is done at your own risk. Always consult with a qualified professional or local officials for specific advice tailored to your situation.

The views and opinions expressed by the guests in this podcast are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, positions, or policies of the host or the production company.

Links to external resources, as well as any screenshots, audio clips, music clips, or images included in this episode, are provided for reference and illustrative purposes only. The inclusion of such materials does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement of this podcast or its content by the original creators, copyright holders, or associated entities.

Music from Uppbeat: Niafunke by Arnito, Cuban Sandwich by Kevin MacLeod, Dubakupado by Kevin MacLeod, Ruby by Moire.

Hello,

This is short trailer for the Save Democracy podcast which has just launched. (May 2026)

The podcast website is savedemocracy.today

Update: The podcast is now available on youtube (and wherever you get your podcasts).

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SaveDemocracypodcast

Thank you for stopping by!

Good wishes

Katherine

Music from Uppbeat: Niafunke by Arnito