LarryDiamond

Great piece on the Administration’s bankrupt posture in Venezuela. The U.S. Is Losing Venezuela open.substack.com/pub/bariweiss/…

The momentum of the war is turning in Ukraine’s favor. “Renewing U.S. support now could help bring about Ukrainian victory and Russian defeat that both deserve,” writes David Kramer in this excellent piece in The Dispatch. thedispatch.com/article/ukrain…

Sadly, xenophobia and scapegoating are global phenomenon, and the virulent anti-immigrant form of it is now gripping South Africa. But the country is fortunate to have courageous intellectuals calling it back to its democratic principles. One of the best of these, Professor Jonathan Jansen, pushes back eloquently in this stunning op-ed: news24.com/opinions/colum….

This is clearly a must read.

Nick Stephanopoulos on the Court’s disastrous Calais decision: “I see Callais as a catastrophe from a democratic perspective. Minority representation is a fundamental democratic value, especially in a racially and ethnically diverse country with severely racially polarized voting…. we’re about to see the biggest drop in minority representation since at least the late nineteenth century, possibly ever.” open.substack.com/pub/michaelalb…

A moving account by my Hoover colleague Rowena He of her struggle to recover and defend historical memory in China. I am so grateful to the Hoover Institution for preserving the memory of Lin Zhao. Hope in Darkness: Teaching Lin Zhao in Hong Kong thefreedomfrequency.org/p/hope-in-dark…

How about Donald Trump? In any case, there are so many uplifting lessons in this victory for democracy, for Hungary, and for Europe. The most important one, for all the democracy skeptics out there: Do not yield to populism, cynicism, or despair. Democracy is a better bet because of its capacity for self-correction.

Orbán might have fallen sooner if the EU had moved more expeditiously to stop subsidizing his corruption and misrule. It was only in this more recent term (2022-26) that the EU finally lost its patience and started withholding funding. Lesson to all democracies: Don't subsidize autocracy and bad government. The EU can now make a difference by releasing to new Magyar government the billions of Euros in funding it has withheld, and by resolving to take a tougher line against creeping autocracy in the future. /5

Magyar and his Tisza party will face enormous challenges in governing, as Orbán and his Fidesz party have spent 16 years stacking the judiciary and civil service, controlling the media, gerrymandering electoral districts, and amending the constitution to create a "competitive authoritarian" regime. But fortunately Tisza appears to have won the necessary 2/3 majority in parliament to amend the constitution, and they will need to use that wisely and forthrightly to restore democracy. /4

Hungarian PM Viktor Orban's breathtaking electoral defeat is one of the most significant gaings for liberal democracy in the past decade. His regime was the archetype of a right-wing authoritarian populism that claimed to be simply "illiberal" but was in fact undemocratic as well. It became an inspiration and a source of support for similar authoritarian populist parties and movements around the world. Both Putin and Trump have suffered serious geopolitical setbacks with Orbán's defeat. Authoritarian populist rulers like Erdogan in Turkey and even Narendra Modi in India should take note. Assaults on civil liberties and the rule of law produce corruption and misrule. Eventually, the people rebel at the polls or on the streets. /1

It is difficult to overstate the global significance of Orbán's massive, stunning defeat after 16 years in power. His was the paradigmatic case of right-wing authoritarian populism, becoming ever-more undemocratic, arrogant, and corrupt. It is not only Orbán that lost today, but Putin, Trump and foes of liberal democracy worldwide. Erdogan, Modi, and others should take note. nytimes.com/2026/04/12/wor…

Contrary to prevailing assumptions (and authoritarian aspirations) promoting democracy is not a dying or hopeless mission for the U.S. Here is why it remains an imperative, and how we can build it back better in the years to come. notus.org/perspectives/h…

426 - Corruption Consumes the Globe, and Overwhelms Washington open.substack.com/pub/robertirot…

A passport card is $65. Call this what it is for those who don't have passports. For married women who took the name of husband, birth certificates don't suffice. For those who lack birth certificates, copies can cost up to $40. This is a poll tax. Voter suppression.

@AnnaKwokFY This is another outrageous step in Hong Kong's descent into pure PRC levels of cruelty and intimidation. Punishing family members for the political "crimes" of their relatives in exile is an odious and escalating technique of transnational repression. nytimes.com/2026/02/10/wor…

Today, my father was convicted simply for being my father. This is how the Hong Kong government retaliates against me and my pro-democracy advocacy. This is hostage taking. This is transnational repression.

"With 2026 underway, Africa’s broader democracy story is moving in multiple directions.... Supporters of democracy—both inside and outside of the continent—will have to remain ready to seize windows of opportunity for progress." This Carnegie essay is an excellent, wide-ranging analysis of the resilience of democratic aspirations and possibilities in Africa, and the retrenchment and recalcitrance it faces from aging regimes and leaders. Africa's democratic forces need more international support, and it can make a difference. carnegieendowment.org/research/2026/…

Trump's FBI raid on the Fulton Country election offices in Georgia is likely not about 2020, but about preparing to disrupt and if necessary steal the elections in 2026 and 2028. In key districts, "state and local election officials need to be ready to go to federal court to seek injunctions barring the government from seizing voting machines or otherwise interfering with the process of tabulating ballots. Trump might even try to send troops to seize ballots without a search warrant, and if that threat is real, proactive judicial action is necessary." Election law expert Rick Hasen has given as an urgent warning and a must-read. slate.com/news-and-polit…

Thank you, Rowena He, for your courage and forthrightness in waging the battle for freedom and historical memory in China, and in Hong Kong. It is an honor to have you as a colleague at the Hoover Institution, and I encourage everyone to listen to your moving podcast conversation with Elizabeth Economy: youtube.com/watch?v=pd7P-O….