democracy

The Philippines Election was Corrupt—and a Victory for Democracy

In the New President, Some See a Demagogue but Others See a Much-Needed Reformer

The Philippines is a sports-loving nation—from boxing to basketball. Seven years ago, the government even named the martial art known as Modern Arnis as our national sport.

But the country’s actual national sport may be the political election.

The Philippines has just gone through a campaign season that engaged the whole country to a degree I have not seen before—and made news all over the world. It culminated in electing our new president Rodrigo “Rody” Roa Duterte, a lawyer and former mayor known for outrageous populist rhetoric that has drawn comparisons to …

By Ramon Casiple |

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The Media’s Prediction Addiction Is Anti-Democratic

Poll-Obsessed Journalists Try to Pick Winners Before the People Do

By Andrés Martinez |

You have to give them credit: many journalists are confessing that they really blew it in the first act of this presidential election season. But most of their mea …

What the Oracles of Ancient Greece Can Tell Us About American Democracy

Tragic Heroes Warned of the Perils of Extremism

By Daniel H. Foster |

Times are hard for democracy. Trump wants a wall. Senators refuse to question judicial nominees. And anti-Hillary liberals seriously contend that she is “as bad as” the opposing party’s presumptive …

Imagine a Democracy Built on Lotteries, Not Elections

We Already Randomly Select Our Juries. Why Not Do the Same With Congress?

By Terrill Bouricius, David Schecter, Campbell Wallace, and John Gastil |

Legislatures, and the elections that populate them, have so many flaws that we might be better off picking our representatives at random.

Before you chuckle, first consider how far we’ve …

You Don’t Want U.S. Politics to End Up Like Venezuela’s

In My Home Country, Our Two Major Parties Have Separate Newspapers, Fashions, and Flags. This Could Be America’s Fate.

By Rafael Osío Cabrices |

I’m having a hard time figuring out which America is real. Is it the one where Americans are protesting the killing, by police officers, of unarmed black boys and men? …

Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders Should Thank Theodore Roosevelt

Outsider Candidates Didn’t Have Much of a Chance Until the Rough Rider Championed Primary Elections

By Jia-Rui Cook |

If you’re wondering why Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have a shot at representing their political parties in November’s national presidential election, you can thank Theodore Roosevelt.

One of Roosevelt’s most …


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