Politics / Democracy

South Africa is losing its status as an upper-middle income developing country. Benjamin Fogel examines the challenges this poses for a young democracy.

As Scotland bids farewell to first minister Nicola Sturgeon, Conrad Landin looks at the state of the democracy she leaves behind.

Nick Dowson looks to the future of democracy – and considers how we can make it our own.

Do we support democracy? Asks Leonardo Sakamoto.

With the country heading towards a general election, the clampdown on press freedom is an attack on democracy itself. Busani Bafana reports from Bulawayo.

Can employees be in full control of their enterprises? Amy Hall explores the possibilities and tensions of worker co-operatives.

Election faker Lukashenko keeps clinging on to power.

Thin Lei Win believes the Myanmar military’s reign of terror might be leading a long-divided nation onto a more inclusive path.

Lives and livelihoods have been laid down for democracy. The economy is on the brink of collapse. The world must support the people’s quest to end military rule once and for all, writes Preeti Jha.

Ugandan autocrat Yoweri Museveni digs his heels in yet again.

Lula is back in the game. After a court annulled all the sentences against him, Brazil’s ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is back in the running for the top job, writes Leonardo Sakamoto.

Rebel chefs are on a mission to decolonize diets across sub-Saharan Africa. Kareem Arthur goes in search of new ingredients.

The topic is vast, the aspects covered in this issue limited, but there are many ways to take action on democracy.

Rich Wilson and Claire Mellier explain how citizens’ assemblies have the potential to restart the beating heart of democracy.

We must be able to see the secret, algorithmic methods of Google, Facebook and other digital titans if we are to tackle disinformation and toxic polarization, says propaganda expert Peter Pomerantsev.

Funds from hidden sources are warping democracy with increasing and devastating effect. Peter Geoghegan follows the money.

Our privacy and freedom of thought is routinely and pervasively breached by the masters of surveillance capitalism. What is this doing to us as humans and to our democratic choices in life? Psychoanalyst Adam Phillips talks to Vanessa Baird.

India is not short of divisive and harmful conspiracy theories. Now one, called ‘love jihad’, has been given legal teeth. Laxmi Murthy reports.

We make our political judgements based on the information we get – and the internet is brimming with it. That can be part of the problem...

More fragile than we thought, liberal democracy seems to be under attack from many sides. Are these death throes – or growing pains? Vanessa Baird explores.