LarryDiamond

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….

Thankfully, a world leader--of our closest friend and neighbor, Canada--is finally standing up to Trump. This is a historically important speech by Mark Carney, not only for Canada but for the United States and the world. Our friends and allies must stop indulging, enabling, and submitting to America's madman president. Only forthright resistance and tough love will get us out of our downward spiral.

“The whole system is very sick right now.” A powerful and distressing analysis of the decline of American democracy under Trump’s withering assaults. nytimes.com/2026/01/20/pod… via @NYTimes

My conversation with the great Montana podcasters Jon Tester and Maritsa Georgiou. "This things is very far from lost": groundedpodcast.substack.com/p/degrading-de….

Yes. Miller’s quote is Jan 5, 2026.

"...we live in a world… that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power." Stephen Miller on CNN, Jan 25, 2026. "The fundamental motif through all the centuries has been the principle that force and power are the determining factors.... Only force rules." Adolf Hitler at Essen, Nov 22, 1926. globalsecurity.org/military/world…

Trump's betrayal of the Venezuelan democratic movement will have tragic long-term consequences. It is bad enough to use force in violation of laws and norms. To do so simply to replay the imperial quest for oil and hegemony is unspeakable. substack.com/inbox/post/183…

Release everything. It’s shameful that this has not been done. All these women—and our society—deserve full transparency and accountability.

Thanks @LarryDiamond. You have helped shape my thinking.

Heather Richardson interviews one of the most creative and compelling policy minds in the Democratic Party, Rep. Ro Khanna , there is a future for the Democrats and America. Progressive capitalism is part of it. This is a must-watch interview. youtu.be/K1iNA6s69_8?si… via @YouTube

The crisis of American democracy is deepening. Here is my analysis. Above all else, we must defend the freedom and fairness of elections in the U.S. to prevent a slide into autocracy. open.substack.com/pub/persuasion…

This a great program that we offer every summer. I encourage democracy practitioners to apply.

Turbulent Times For Democracy | Hoover Institution Turbulent Times For Democracy hoover.org/research/turbu…