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Democracy Paradox — Government
Democracy Paradox

Is it possible for a democracy to govern undemocratically? Can the people elect an undemocratic leader? Is it possible for democracy to bring about authoritarianism? And if so, what does this say about democracy? My name is Justin Kempf. Every week I talk to the brightest minds on subjects like international relations, political theory, and history to explore democracy from every conceivable angle. Topics like civil resistance, authoritarian successor parties, and the autocratic middle class challenge our ideas about democracy. Join me as we unravel new topics every week.

Copyright: © 2026 Democracy Paradox

Latest Episodes:

Peter Pomerantsev on Winning an Information War Mar 12, 2024

Show notes

All this stuff about half of America just won't listen to this. You're just not trying. You're just not trying. I fear in America people don't try to reach people in echo chambers.

Peter Pomerantsev
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Sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Learn more at https://carnegieendowment.org
A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.
Peter Pomerantsev is a Senior Fellow at Johns Hopkins University where he co-directs the Arena Initiative. His past books include Nothing is True and Everything is Possible and This is Not Propaganda. His most recent book is called How to Win an Information War: The Propagandist Who Outwitted Hitler.
Key Highlights

Introduction - 0:20
Sefton Delmer - 3:37
Der Chef - 11:34
Communication and Propaganda - 25:27
Winning an Information War - 37:45

Key Links

How to Win an Information War: The Propagandist Who Outwitted Hitler by Peter Pomerantsev
This Is Not Propaganda: Adventures in the War Against Reality by Peter Pomerantsev
Follow Peter Pomerantsev on X @peterpomeranzev
Democracy Paradox Podcast
Samuel Woolley on Bots, Artificial Intelligence, and Digital Propaganda
Allie Funk of Freedom House Assesses Global Internet Freedom
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Apes of the State created all Music
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Is Democracy Still in Decline? Yana Gorokhovskaia on the Freedom in the World Report Mar 05, 2024

Show notes

Without an elected government, without a government that truly represents... a lot of things are imperiled - rights, democracy, freedom, certainly peace. I think that's another kind of challenge as we go into this year of widespread elections. It's not just about preserving democracy. It's also laying the foundation for peace.

Yana Gorokhovskaia
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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.
Yana Gorokhovskaia is the Research Director at Freedom House and one of the lead authors of this year’s Freedom in the World report titled, The Mounting Damage of Flawed Elections and Armed Conflict.
Key Highlights

Introduction - 0:20
Nagorno-Karabakh - 2:15
Gaza and Israel - 7:46
Freedom in Decline - 13:18
Autocratic Elections - 35:43

Key Links
Freedom in the World 2024: The Mounting Damage of Flawed Elections and Armed Conflict
Freedom on the Net 2023: The Repressive Power of Artificial Intelligence
Follow Freedom House on X @freedomhouse
Democracy Paradox Podcast
Staffan Lindberg with a Report on Democracy in the World
Sarah Repucci from Freedom House with an Update on Freedom in the World
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Apes of the State created all Music
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When We Misread Dictators... Steve Coll on Saddam Hussein and the American Invasion of Iraq Feb 27, 2024

Show notes

As a writer I had the space to try to humanize him without sanitizing him. That was my mission: to try to see the world from behind his eyes in order to explain his otherwise inexplicable behavior.

Steve Coll
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Read Justin Kempf's essay "The Revolution Will Be Podcasted."
A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.
Steve Coll is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who has served as President and CEO of New America and the Dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He is currently a staff writer at The New Yorker. His most recent book is The Achilles’ Trap: Saddam Hussein, the CIA, and the Origins of America’s Invasion of Iraq.
Key Highlights

Introduction - 0:20
Saddam Hussein - 2:56
Iran-Iraq War - 10:22
WMD - 27:06
2003 American Invasion - 46:03

Key Links
The Achilles’ Trap: Saddam Hussein, the CIA, and the Origins of America’s Invasion of Iraq by Steve Coll
“How Iraq was Lost” by Robert Kaplan in The New Statesman (Book Review of The Achilles' Trap)
Read more from Steve Coll at The New Yorker
Democracy Paradox Podcast
Robert Kaplan on the Politics of the Past and Future of the Greater Middle East
Steven Simon on American Foreign Policy in the Middle East including Iran and the Wars in Iraq
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Apes of the State created all Music
Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com
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100 Books on Democracy

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Why is the Immigration System Broken? Jonathan Blitzer on How American Foreign Policy in Central America Created a Crisis Feb 20, 2024

Show notes

Written into the DNA of American immigration policy, which we tend to regard as a kind of domestic policy - and which in many ways it is - has to do with US foreign policy.

Jonathan Blitzer
This episode was made in partnership with the Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of Democracy.
Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu
Access Episodes Ad-Free on Patreon
Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.
Read Justin Kempf's essay "The Revolution Will Be Podcasted."
A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.
Jonathan Blitzer is a staff writer at The New Yorker. He won a 2017 National Award for Education Reporting for “American Studies,” a story about an underground school for undocumented immigrants. His writing and reporting have also appeared in the New York Times, The Atlantic, The Atavist, Oxford American, and The Nation. He is an Emerson Fellow at New America. His most recent book is Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis.
Key Highlights

Introduction - 0:20
Personal Experiences - 3:12
Immigration and Foreign Policy - 12:25
Migration as a Crisis - 31:20
Bukele and El Salvador Today - 46:26

Key Links
Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis by Jonathan Blitzer
“Do I Have to Come Here Injured or Dead?” by Jonathan Blitzer in The New Yorker
Follow Jonathan Blitzer on X @JonathanBlitzer
Democracy Paradox Podcast
Rachel Schwartz on How Guatemala Rose Up Against Democratic Backsliding
Joseph Wright and Abel Escribà-Folch on Migration’s Potential to Topple Dictatorships
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Apes of the State created all Music
Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com
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100 Books on Democracy

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The Surveillance State in China Began With Mao Says Minxin Pei Feb 13, 2024

Show notes

I think a powerful surveillance apparatus will continue to be a major obstacle to the development of democratic forces, but it will not be the decisive factor.

Minxin Pei
Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu
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Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.
Read Justin Kempf's essay "The Revolution Will Be Podcasted."
A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.
Minxin Pei is the Tom and Margot Pritzker ’72 Professor of Government and George R. Roberts Fellow at Claremont McKenna College. His most recent book is The Sentinel State: Surveillance and the Survival of Dictatorship in China.
Key Highlights

Introduction - 0:20
What is a Surveillance State - 2:55
Informants - 12:02
History - 23:43
Surveillance and Elites - 35:26

Key Links
The Sentinel State: Surveillance and the Survival of Dictatorship in China by Minxin Pei
"Why China Can’t Export Its Model of Surveillance" by Minxin Pei in Foreign Affairs
"Totalitarianism’s Long Shadow" by Minxin Pei in Journal of Democracy
Democracy Paradox Podcast
Josh Chin on China’s Surveillance State
Deng Xiaoping is Not Who You Think He is. Joseph Torigian on Leadership Transitions in China and the Soviet Union
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Apes of the State created all Music
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100 Books on Democracy

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After a Coup, Can the Constitutional Order Be Repaired? Adem Abebe on Rebuilding Constitutions in West Africa Feb 06, 2024

Show notes

As democracy promoters, we also need to pay a lot of attention to the material needs of people... When these material needs are not satisfied, people will be more willing to give nondemocratic forms a chance.

Adem Abebe
This episode was made in partnership with the Constitution Building Programme at International IDEA
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
Read Justin Kempf's essay "The Revolution Will Be Podcasted."
A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.
Adem Abebe is a senior advisor on constitution-building processes at International IDEA. He supports transitions from conflict and authoritarianism to peace and democracy, generates cutting edge knowledge, convenes platforms for dialogue and advocates for change. Adem is also Vice President of the African Network of Constitutional Lawyers, which promotes democratic constitutionalism across the continent.
Key Highlights

Introduction - 0:20
Why Military Coups Happen - 4:05
Holding Back Political Institutions - 19:23
Restoring Constitutional Order - 34:31
The Role of Constitutions - 48:54

Key Links
Follow Adem Abebe on X @AdamAbebe
Learn more about International IDEA
Learn about the Constitution-Building Programme at International IDEA at Constitutionnet.org
Democracy Paradox Podcast
Can Poland Repair its Constitutional Democracy? Tomás Daly Believes it Can
Marcela Rios Tobar on the Failed Constitutional Process in Chile
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Apes of the State created all Music
Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com
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100 Books on Democracy

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Can Poland Repair its Constitutional Democracy? Tomás Daly Believes it Can Jan 30, 2024

Show notes

Poland will be showing us the endless ingenuity of constitutional thinkers who are genuinely committed to democracy in its many forms.

Tomás Daly
This episode was made in partnership with the Constitution Building Programme at International IDEA
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
Read Justin Kempf's essay "The Revolution Will Be Podcasted."
A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.
Tomás Daly is a Professor at Melbourne Law School and Director of the Democratic Decay & Renewal (DEM-DEC) platform at www.democratic-decay.org. His new project on ‘constitutional repair’ addresses a pressing question: how can a democracy be repaired after being deeply degraded, but not ended, during a period of anti-democratic government?
Key Highlights

Introduction - 0:20
What is Constitutional Repair? - 3:48
Poland and its Constitutional Damage - 7:36
Constitutional Repair in Poland - 20:06
Avoiding Democratic Backsliding - 40:12

Key Links
Constitutional Repair: A Comparative Theory by Tomás Daly
Follow Tomás Daly on X @democracytalk
Learn more about International IDEA
Learn about the Constitution-Building Programme at International IDEA at Constitutionnet.org
Democracy Paradox Podcast
Kurt Weyland on the Resilience of Democracy
How Can Democracy Survive in an Age of Discontent? Rachel Navarre and Matthew Rhodes-Purdy on Populism and Political Extremism
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Apes of the State created all Music
Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com
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100 Books on Democracy

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Simon Shuster on Zelensky in War and Peace Jan 23, 2024

Show notes

I think his heart is in the right place. I've talked to him about these things. He's very sensitive to the judgment of history. He knows that. Ukraine has been fighting since long before he became president to be an independent sovereign democracy with freedom of speech.

Simon Shuster
Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu
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Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.
A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.
Read Justin Kempf's essay "The Revolution Will Be Podcasted."
Simon Shuster is a staff writer for Time magazine who covers politics in Ukraine and Russia. His new book is called The Showman: Inside the Invasion That Shook the World and Made a Leader of Volodymyr Zelensky.
Key Highlights

Introduction - 0:20
The Early Zelensky - 3:30
Wartime President - 19:16
Politics in Wartime Ukraine - 33:59
Democracy in Ukraine - 36:18

Key Links
The Showman: Inside the Invasion that Shook the World and Made a Leader of Volodymyr Zelenskyby Simon Shuster
"Where Zelensky Comes From" by Simon Shuster in Time
Follow Simon Shuster on X @shustry
Democracy Paradox Podcast
Serhii Plokhy on the Russo-Ukrainian War
Olga Onuch and Henry Hale Describe the Zelensky Effect
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Apes of the State created all Music
Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com
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100 Books on Democracy

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Marcela Rios Tobar on the Failed Constitutional Process in Chile Jan 16, 2024

Show notes

When politics has to solve the problems that it has caused, how can politics do that?

Marcela Rios Tobar
This episode was made in partnership with the Constitution Building Programme at International IDEA
Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu
Access Episodes Ad-Free on Patreon

Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.
A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.
Marcela Rios Tobar is the Director for Latin America and the Caribbean at International IDEA. From March 2022 until January 2023 she served as the Minister of Justice and Human Rights in Chile under Gabriel Boric.
Key Highlights

Introduction - 0:20
Background - 3:40
The Draft Constitutions - 18:04
Lost Opportunity? 35:11
Exceptional or Harbinger - 46:55

Key Links
Learn more about International IDEA
Learn about the Constitution-Building Programme at International IDEA at Constitutionnet.org
Read more about Chile's constitutional journey
Democracy Paradox Podcast
Jennifer Piscopo on the Constitutional Chaos in Chile
Aldo Madariaga on Neoliberalism, Democratic Deficits, and Chile
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Apes of the State created all Music
Email the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.com
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100 Books on Democracy

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Kurt Weyland on the Resilience of Democracy Jan 09, 2024

Show notes

Populist leaders want polarization. They start polarization. They confront.

Kurt Weyland
Proudly sponsored by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. Learn more at https://kellogg.nd.edu
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Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.
A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.
Kurt Weyland is the Mike Hogg Professor in Liberal Arts. He has written many books. His most recent is Democracy's Resilience to Populism's Threat: Countering Global Alarmism. He has also authored the article "Why Democracy Survives Populism" in the Journal of Democracy.
Key Highlights

Introduction - 0:45
Democratic Breakdown in Peru - 2:56
The Populist Threat - 18:46
Institutional Strength - 25:19
Countering Global Alarmism - 46:19

Key Links
"Why Democracy Survives Populism" by Kurt Weyland in Journal of Democracy
Democracy's Resilience to Populism's Threat: Countering Global Alarmism by Kurt Weyland
Assault on Democracy: Communism, Fascism, and Authoritarianism During the Interwar Years by Kurt Weyland
Democracy Paradox Podcast
Kurt Weyland Distinguishes Between Fascism and Authoritarianism
Jason Brownlee Believes We Underestimate Democratic Resilience
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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

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