democracy

June 06, 2023

What Is Liberty’s Global Future?

For those of us old enough to have grown up during the Cold War, 1989 stood out as the era’s transformational miracle year. Hungary recognized the 1956 revolutionaries and opened its border with Austria. Continue Reading...

November 10, 2022

Who Decides What Books Your Child Should Read?

At its best, a democratic polity ought to deal well with complexity, this complexity composed of clashing ideas and principles as well as the interests of multiple actors and stakeholders. Such a polity will seek proximate solutions that require constant fine-tuning. Continue Reading...

July 14, 2022

Is Indonesia’s “Civil Islam” a model for the Muslim world?

The rise of “Islamic extremism” in France, the reemergence of the Taliban in Afghanistan, and the recent drift toward Islamist politics—political efforts to enforce an orthodox interpretation of Islam on society—in Turkey have revived the debate about Islam’s relationship with democracy and liberty. Continue Reading...

September 07, 2021

No, Tucker Carlson: The U.S. is not, will not, and never should be like Hungary

Last month, Tucker Carlson replaced Rod Dreher as the latest conservative to take a pilgrimage to Hungary. Carlson praised Hungarian President Viktor Orbán’s pro-family policies, stricter immigration policies, and resistance to progressive views on gender, saying: “If you care about Western civilization and democracy and families and the ferocious assault on all three of those things by the leaders of our global institutions, you should know what is happening here right now.” Continue Reading...

July 30, 2020

5 reasons your local newspaper (probably) deserves your money

In the past five years, one out of every five newspapers nationwide has closed and half of all newsroom employees have been laid off, according to the University of North Carolina’s School of Media and Journalism. Continue Reading...

June 24, 2020

Acton Line podcast: The story of Jimmy Lai’s fight against Chinese oppression

At the age of 13, Jimmy Lai escaped China to experience freedom in Hong Kong and grew to be one of Hong Kong’s highest-profile media moguls. Through his work, Lai founded the anti-Beijing newspaper Apple Daily and became an outspoken critic of the People’s Republic of China, solidifying him as one of Hong Kong’s most important pro-democracy voices. Continue Reading...

May 06, 2020

The persecution of Jimmy Lai

It’s no secret that China isn’t exactly flavor of the month throughout the world right now. Before the court of global opinion, the reputation of the Chinese regime is about as low as it can go. Continue Reading...

April 08, 2019

The paradox of democracy

The endless drama of Brexit – which last week wrote yet another act with Parliament rejecting all possible options – should make many wonders about the future of representative democracy and the dynamics of power in modern society. Continue Reading...

June 08, 2018

‘Satanic’ capitalism brought abortion to Ireland: ‘First Things’ editor

There is much to lament over the Republic of Ireland’s repeal of the Eighth Amendment, including the death of reason among some who have commented on it. This last was lamentably displayed in an essay written by First Things senior editor Matthew Schmitz and published in the Catholic Herald on Thursday. Continue Reading...

May 05, 2018

Another take on ‘Pope Francis and the Caring Society’

ICYMI: Over at The Federalist this past Friday, Ethics and Public Policy Center Fellow Luma Simms reviews Pope Francis and the Caring Society. As noted in my April 18 review, the collection of essays includes perceptive and educational insights from Acton’s own Samuel Gregg as well as many others, including Phillip Booth. Continue Reading...

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