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Tag: illiberalism

Rights in the age of the new autocracy

If we only focus on the limits of human rights, we tend to overlook their deeper function in the resilience of democracy. While enforcement can fall short, the existence of powerful legal standards still influences political contestation and slows down the process of institutional erosion, even in the age of new authoritarianism.

April 21, 2026 - Zuzana Pavlíčková

When elections are managed: what Georgia and Hungary’s campaigns have in common

Ongoing electoral issues in both Georgia and Hungary display many clear sensibilities. While the mechanics affecting votes remain an important issue, it is necessary to highlight the varied means of coercion that also help maintain the power of the ruling party.

April 17, 2026 - Ana Tsitlidze

Fico’s precarious balancing act in Slovakia

Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, is now in a precarious position. He cannot overly offend his country’s partners and Brussels as he depends on European funding. At the same time, he has promised his electorate a hard-line approach to Ukraine and a more confrontational approach to the West. As he floods the media space with misinformation to distract the society, he may find in the end that this balancing act is more difficult to maintain than he realizes.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has had a tough time balancing his efforts to keep his hold on power, all while grappling with contradictions in his policies: sending military assistance to Ukraine, despite campaigning on the promise to “not send another bullet”; travelling to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin; keeping his nationalist coalition allies satisfied; and managing his pro-EU image in Brussels.

May 5, 2025 - Jakub Ferenčik

Austria’s drift toward isolation: Kickl’s Russia ties and the risk of following Hungary’s lead in the war

Last year’s parliamentary elections in Austria led to the first-ever victory of the far-right Freedom Party. As its leader Herbert Kickl looks set to become chancellor, the party’s extensive ties to Russia are more relevant than ever.

February 6, 2025 - Viktoria Rybicki

We need to fight for democracy in Slovakia once more

Interview with Samuel Marec, a Slovak translator, publicist and writer. Interviewer: Nikodem Szczygłowski.

February 3, 2025 - Nikodem Szczygłowski Samuel Marec

Contemporary hybrid regimes

If in the expression “hybrid regime” the adjective will be the focus of this short essay, understanding the meaning and implications of the term “regime” is an unavoidable starting point. The subsequent questions will be: How do we define a hybrid regime? Are there different types? And what is the crux of the issue today?

The mainstream notion of regime refers to all government institutions and norms, either formalized or informally recognized as existing in a given territory and concerning a given population. When, more precisely, we look at the patterns that shape the channels of access to the leading government positions, the characteristics of the actors who are admitted or excluded from such access, and the resources or strategies that they can use to gain access, we understand that to have a regime we need some stabilization. If there is no stabilization, we are in a fluid transitional phase that can also go towards either an authoritarian solution or a democracy.

September 17, 2024 - Leonardo Morlino

The growing dangers of European radical populism for Europe and Ukraine

The populist challenge in Europe now appears everywhere across the continent. Questioning the continent’s liberal-democratic norms, these forces are particularly hostile to continued aid to Ukraine. Overall, it appears that several key personalities are leading the charge in this regard.

April 2, 2024 - Joshua Kroeker

Is Europe’s democracy in crisis?

Like their predecessors in the 1920s and 1930s, today’s populists understand that by dividing society and delegitimising their adversaries, they can get away with blatant violations of the democratic rules. They aim to fuel discontent and toxic polarisation, which transform public debate into tribal wars.

In the mid-1970s three eminent political scientists – Michel Crozier, Samuel Huntington, and Joji Watanuki – penned a famous report on the crisis of western democracy, which they described as declining and overloaded with societal demands. Paradoxically, their report coincided with the start of a democratisation wave that, in 15 years, swept away dictatorships across the globe, including those in Southern and Eastern Europe.

February 16, 2023 - Filip Kostelka

The line between politics and friendship

A review of Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism and Twilight of Democracy. The Failure of Politics and the Parting of Friends. By Anne Applebaum. Publisher: Penguin/ Allen Lane, London, 2020.

November 16, 2020 - Simona Merkinaite

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