Piotr Marczyński
Neither Poland's government nor its opposition has a straightforward path toward an electoral majority. Meanwhile, personal conflict between Jarosław Kaczyński and Donald Tusk dominates the news cycle. Piotr Marczyński argues this configuration reflects the shallow roots of the Polish party system, with axes of polarisation gradually realigning along ideological lines Read more
Kaja Kaźmierska
Kaja Kaźmierska analyses a new law passed recently in Poland which violates the Constitution multiple times on the pretext of investigating Russian influence over Polish politics. Opposition parties have dubbed this law the 'Lex Tusk', arguing that its purpose is predominantly to prevent a Tusk victory in the forthcoming elections Read more
Emanuela Lombardo
As far-right populist political parties and anti-gender movements gather momentum across Europe, democracy and gender equality come under increasing threat. Emanuela Lombardo shows how a concomitant rise in attacks on gender equality accelerates the process of democratic decline Read more
Massimo D'Angelo
On 21 October 2022, Giorgia Meloni became the first female Italian Prime Minister. She is also the head of the most right-wing government in the history of the Republic. Massimo D’Angelo explores the implications for Italy’s foreign policy and European outlook, as well as the lure of authoritarianism in some European governments Read more
Akudo McGee
All regimes have courts but through so-called ‘autocratic legalism’, autocrats leverage them to consolidate regimes without initially raising red flags. Akudo McGee argues that autocratic legalism easily flies under the radar because early warning signs of autocratisation are subtle. Indicators of autocratisation, therefore, need better taxonomies of authoritarianism to work Read more
Filip Ilkowski
Relations between Poland and the EU have reached a nadir with the recent clash between the Polish Constitutional Court and the European Union Court of Justice. This conflict, argues Filip Ilkowski, reflects much deeper divisions connected to EU geopolitics and ideological clashes in Polish society Read more
Akudo McGee
Escalating rule of law crises in Poland and Hungary have led to calls for their expulsion from the European Union. Yet, argues Akudo McGee, such calls overlook the fact that the true losers of Polexit or Hungexit won’t be unruly governments Read more
Luca Manucci
Luca Manucci, in a panoramic survey of the rise of illiberalism in our times, argues that this trend is feeding on authoritarian historical legacies and memories which are being rewritten before our eyes. It is an exercise all democrats should challenge, and resist Read more
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