OSHER 448 - Democracy and Authoritarianism

Anti-Democratic movements have become stronger throughout the world. Democratic regimes have been replaced by authoritarian ones in Eastern Europe (Hungary, Poland), the Middle East (Turkey), and South America (Venezuela, Brazil) and anti-democratic movements have become stronger in Western Europe as well. A movement on the Right threatens Democracy in the United States with fraudulent claims about stolen elections believed by many and a movement to make voting more difficult. It seems to have become almost suddenly possible that democracy can fail in many places. We will try to understand this phenomenon with the help of two recent books: "Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism" by Anne Applebaum, and "The Light That Failed: Why the West is Losing the Fight for Democracy" by Ivan Krastev and Stephen Holmes.