Democracy Paradox

Latest Episodes:

When Democracy Breaks: 1930s Japan with Louise Young May 21, 2024

Show notes

There's a fog of democratic breakdown where really you cannot see the actual impact of your choices or your actions until after the fact.

Louise Young

Made in partnership with the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation

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Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu

Proudly sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowment.org

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

Louise Young is a professor of history at the University of Wisonsin-Madison. She is the author of the chapter “The Breakdown of Democracy in 1930s Japan.” It is part of the volume When Democracy Breaks: Studies in Democratic Erosion and Collapse, From Ancient Athens to the Present Day.

Key Highlights

Introduction - 0:20
Democratization - 2:52
What Made it Different - 11:41
Democratic Breakdown - 20:14
Resisting Democratic Erosion - 37:15

Key Links

When Democracy Breaks: Studies in Democratic Erosion and Collapse, From Ancient Athens to the Present Day edited by Archon Fung, David Moss, and Odd Arne Westad

"The Breakdown in Democracy in 1930s Japan" by Louise Young

Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation

Democracy Paradox Podcast

When Democracy Breaks: Ancient Athens with Josiah Ober and Federica Carugati

Dan Slater on Indonesia

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When Democracy Breaks: Ancient Athens with Josiah Ober and Federica Carugati May 14, 2024

Show notes

What strikes me about that period is that democracy was not inevitable.

Federica Carugati
Made in partnership with the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation
Get your copy of When Democracy Breaks or read it open access.
Access Episodes Ad-Free on Patreon
Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.
Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu
Proudly sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowment.org
A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.
Josiah Ober is a Professor of Political Science and Classics at Stanford University. Federica Carugati is a Lecturer in History and Political Economy at King's College London. They are the coauthors of the chapter “Democratic Collapse and Recovery in Ancient Athens (413-403 BCE)” in a new book called When Democracy Breaks: Studies in Democratic Erosion and Collapse, From Ancient Athens to the Present Day.
Key Highlights

Introduction - 0:20
Democratization - 3:28
Breakdown - 17:36
Rebirth - 36:48
Final Lessons - 47:51

Key Links
When Democracy Breaks: Studies in Democratic Erosion and Collapse, From Ancient Athens to the Present Day edited by Archon Fung, David Moss, and Odd Arne Westad
"Democratic Collapse and Recovery in Ancient Athens (413-403 BCE)" by Federica Carugati and Josiah Ober
Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation
Democracy Paradox Podcast
Does Democracy Rely on a Civic Bargain? Josiah Ober Makes the Case
David Stasavage on Early Democracy and its Decline
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Apes of the State created all Music
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Alexander Keyssar on Why We Still Have the Electoral College May 07, 2024

Show notes

I think that if you got rid of the Electoral College, in the short run, there would be losers. But it hasn't always been the same group and it hasn't always been the same party.

Alexander Keyssar
Made in partnership with the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation
Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.
Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu
Proudly sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowment.org
A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.
Alexander Keyssar is the Matthew W. Stirling Jr. Professor of History and Social Policy at Harvard University and the author of the book Why Do We Still Have the Electoral College?
Key Highlights

Introduction - 0:20
Origin of the Electoral College - 3:05
Proportional or District Electoral Votes - 17:37
Race and Civil Rights - 27:02
Why No Reform - 41:44

Key Links
Why Do We Still Have the Electoral College? by Alexander Keyssar
Watch Electoral College Symposium: What’s to be Done?
Follow Alexander Keyssar on X @AlexKeyssar

Democracy Paradox Podcast
Heather Cox Richardson on History, Conservatism, and the Awakening of American Democracy
Daniel Ziblatt on American Democracy, the Republican Party, and the Tyranny of the Minority
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Robert Kagan on the Threat of Antiliberalism Apr 30, 2024

Show notes

You actually have to fight in every generation, if you want to preserve liberalism. It's not just going to preserve itself. It's not just the end of history. It isn't just the final resting place of humanity - not by any stretch of the imagination. It's a continual struggle.

Robert Kagan
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Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu
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A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.
Robert Kagan is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a columnist for The Washington Post. He is the author of many books including most recently The Ghost at the Feast: America and the Collapse of World Order, 1900-1941 and Rebellion: How Antiliberalism Is Tearing America Apart--Again.
Key Highlights

Introduction - 0:20
Traditions of Liberalism and Antiliberalism - 3:04
Antiliberalism as an Idea - 8:35
Tension Within Ourselves - 21:25
Future of Liberalism and Antiliberalism - 37:42

Key Links
Rebellion: How Antiliberalism Is Tearing America Apart--Again by Robert Kagan
The Ghost at the Feast: America and the Collapse of World Order, 1900-1941 by Robert Kagan
Follow Robert Kagan at the Brookings Institution
Democracy Paradox Podcast
Robert Kagan Looks to American History to Explain Foreign Policy Today
Heather Cox Richardson on History, Conservatism, and the Awakening of American Democracy
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Rep Mikie Sherrill on Whether the Bipartisan Consensus on Foreign Policy Will Hold and on Threats to American Democracy Apr 23, 2024

Show notes

People in Congress are leaders in their communities and people in some parts of this country are, in my opinion, being led astray.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill
This episode was made in partnership with the Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of Democracy
Access Episodes Ad-Free on Patreon
Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.
Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu
Proudly sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowment.org
A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.
Representative Mikie Sherrill represents the 11th Congressional District of New Jersey. She sits on the Committee on Armed Services, Subcommittee on Readiness, Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces, and the Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from the United States Naval Academy, a Master’s degree in Global History from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Law degree from Georgetown University. She is a military veteran with almost ten years of active duty service.
Key Highlights

Introduction - 0:20
Personal Background - 3:48
Polarization and Foreign Policy - 13:50
China - 23:36
American Democracy - 28:41

Key Links
Learn more about Rep. Mikie Sherrill on her Congressional page
Follow Rep. Mikie Sherrill on X @RepSherrill or @MikieSherrill
Rep. Mikie Sherrill's Campaign Page
Democracy Paradox Podcast
Grading Biden’s Foreign Policy with Alexander Ward
Can America Fight Back Against the Authoritarian Economic Statecraft of China? Bethany Allen Believes We Can
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Saskia Brechenmacher on Promoting Gender Equality Through Democracy Assistance Aid Apr 16, 2024

Show notes

What does it mean to empower women politically in a context in which the dominant party is engaged in democratic backsliding or other forms of illiberal and exclusionary politics? Would you still want more women to be part of that party?

Saskia Brechenmacher
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Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu
Made in partnership with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowment.org
A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.
Saskia Brechenmacher is a fellow in Carnegie’s Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program. Recently, she coauthored a new book with Katherine Mann called Aiding Empowerment: Democracy Promotion and Gender Equality in Politics.
Key Highlights

Introduction - 0:20
Democracy Promotion and Gender Equality - 3:13
Gender Quotas - 12:38
Challenges - 28:12
New Ideas and Issues - 44:53

Key Links
Aiding Empowerment: Democracy Promotion and Gender Equality in Politics by Saskia Brechenmacher and Katherine Mann
Learn more about Saskia Brechenmacher at the Carnegie Endowment
Follow Saskia Brechenmacher on X @SaskiaBrech
Democracy Paradox Podcast
Marc Plattner Has Quite a Bit to Say About Democracy
Larry Diamond on Supporting Democracy in the World and at Home
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Democracy in a Postmodern Era with Bruce Ackerman Apr 09, 2024

Show notes

We have to reconstruct the foundations of our democracy, building on the past, not repudiating everything we're building on it.

Bruce Ackerman
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Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu
Sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowment.org
A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.
Bruce Ackerman is the Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale. He is well known as a legal scholar and a political philosopher. His most recent book is The Postmodern Predicament: Existential Challenges of the Twenty-First Century.
Key Highlights

Introduction - 0:20
Modernity - 2:37
Postmodernism - 15:26
Deliberation Day - 36:08
Rethinking Modernity - 43:28

Key Links
The Postmodern Predicament: Existential Challenges of the Twenty-First Century by Bruce Ackerman
Learn more about Bruce Ackerman on Wikipedia
Follow Bruce Ackerman on X @backermanyale
Democracy Paradox Podcast
Yascha Mounk Warns Against a Misguided New Ideology
Zizi Papacharissi Dreams of What Comes After Democracy
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Adam Casey on How Military Aid Can Stabilize and Destabilize Foreign Autocrats Apr 02, 2024

Show notes

We thought we were strengthening the militaries in the Cold War. In fact, the political effects of those strengthened militaries ended up leading to a longer-term deterioration and instability.

Adam Casey
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Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu
Sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowment.org
A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.
Adam E. Casey is an analyst in the United States government. He wrote Up in Arms: How Military Aid Stabilizes―and Destabilizes―Foreign Autocrats while he was a research fellow at the Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies at the University of Michigan. All the content in the book and this interview reflects the views of the author and does not reflect the position of any US government agency or department, nor does it assert or imply US government authentication of information or endorsement of the author's views.
Key Highlights

Introduction - 0:20
Why Military Aid Destabilizes Some Autocrats - 4:23
The Soviet Approach to Military Aid - 21:50
Revolutionary Governments - 29:09
Modernization - 35:57

Key Links

Up in Arms: How Military Aid Stabilizes―and Destabilizes―Foreign Autocrats by Adam Casey
"The Origins of Military Supremacy in Dictatorships," by Dan Slater Lucan A. Way Jean Lachapelle and Adam E. Casey in Journal of Democracy.
Follow Adam Casey on X @adam_e_casey
Democracy Paradox Podcast
After a Coup, Can the Constitutional Order Be Repaired? Adem Abebe on Rebuilding Constitutions in West Africa
Naunihal Singh on the Myth of the Coup Contagion
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Disinformation is a Threat to Democracy Says Barbara McQuade Mar 26, 2024

Show notes

We have to care more about truth than tribe. We have to care more about each other than about profit.

Barbara McQuade
This episode was made in partnership with the Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of Democracy
Access Episodes Ad-Free on Patreon
Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.
Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu
Sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowment.org
A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.
Barbara McQuade is a professor from practice at the University of Michigan Law School. She is also a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC, and a co-host of the podcast #SistersInLaw. Her new book Attack from Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging America.
Key Highlights

Introduction - 0:20
Propaganda Today - 3:05
Disinformation and Polarization - 19:57
Free Speech - 24:29
Attack from Within - 37:14

Key Links
Attack from Within: How Disinformation Is Sabotaging America by Barbara McQuade
Learn more about Barbara McQuade
Follow Barbara McQuade on X @BarbMcQuade
Democracy Paradox Podcast
Peter Pomerantsev on Winning an Information War
Samuel Woolley on Bots, Artificial Intelligence, and Digital Propaganda
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Grading Biden's Foreign Policy with Alexander Ward Mar 19, 2024

Show notes

Whoever you vote for, Biden or Trump at this point, you are voting for a radically different vision of American foreign policy.

Alexander Ward
Access Episodes Ad-Free on Patreon
Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.
Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu
Sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowment.org
A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.
Alexander Ward is a national security reporter at Politico and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is also the author of the book The Internationalists: The Fight to Restore American Foreign Policy after Trump.
Key Highlights

Introduction - 0:20
A Foreign Policy for the Middle Class - 2:47
Crises - 20:13
Ukraine - 27:56
The Grade - 40:32

Key Links
The Internationalists: The Fight to Restore American Foreign Policy after Trump by Alexander Ward
Learn more about Alexander Ward
Follow Alexander Ward on X @alexbward
Democracy Paradox Podcast
Can America Fight Back Against the Authoritarian Economic Statecraft of China? Bethany Allen Believes We Can
Larry Diamond on Supporting Democracy in the World and at Home
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More Information
Apes of the State created all Music
Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com
Follow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast
100 Books on Democracy