Democracy Articles

Back in the day, American schoolchildren studied “civics” —the history and workings of our democracy. Curricula often included the formative influence of “the world’s first democracy of the ancient Greeks.”Thirty years ago, the role of American civic…

Public statues falling everywhere. Robert E. Lee, Christopher Columbus, Thomas Jefferson, and more—memorialized leaders yanked to the ground, no longer heroes to angry crowds demonstrating this summer for racial justice. So which bronze effigies dese…

Two major stories emerged from last week’s White House coronavirus briefings. The first chronicled President Trump’s attempts to preempt governors’ decision-making authority for lifting stay-at-home restrictions. The governors (and Constitution) won …

Once upon a time, many thought the internet would spawn a digital democratic utopia: harmonious, boundary-spanning decision-making, reflecting liberty and equality in a global community of “netizens.” Today, sadly, we witness identity theft, cyber-bu…

With Robert Mueller’s report now released to Congress, cries about justice versus betrayal are echoing everywhere. President Trump and his supporters boast of the report’s “total exoneration” from Russian collusion. Democrats emphasize still lurking …

Still angry about Justice Kavanaugh? Or are you anxious about the latest UN climate report, warning of faster-rising oceans? Or do you fret about wrong-headed immigration laws? Or can’t we just talk about the Red Sox getting to the World Series? No, …

“Here in the U.S. we’re so used to a stable democracy that we misinterpret any crisis as imminent collapse. We’re going through a rough patch now, yes—but that’s simply a signal that it’s time to reboot.” The reassuring words I was hearing on my phon…

Put aside the conspiracy theories, latest Trump tweets and wonky wars of healthcare: let’s think bigger picture and longer term—on the future of democracy itself. Is rising populism, anti-government rage, and scorched earth partisanship destroying se…

The January 2017 stock market is showing plenty of optimism, but the political sphere swirls with anxiety. People—of all partisan stripes—worry about our democracy’s decay. Will the political system of freedom and equality as we know it survive? Will…

“What kind of America would you like to have? Instead of the usual electoral horserace questions, a recent focus group of citizens was simply asked about their vision for a better nation. Peggy Noonan, the WSJ columnist who reported the story, repris…

Are you an “inclusive leader?” Reading the question, you’re likely thinking about ethnic diversity and gender equality. “How many senior ‘people of color’ in your company? How many women  VPs?” Or perhaps you’re thinking about “open organi…

Winston Churchill was the first to say “never let a good crisis go to waste.” If EU politicians can’t learn leadership lessons from thousands of migrants amassing on European borders, it will certainly be a crisis wasted. But other executives can als…