7 Pillars to Defend Democracy—The Case of the U.S.
This third edition of the Democracy Playbook updates its predecessor 20191 and 20212 publications of evidence-based best practices for reversing democratic backsliding. We have added the research and developments of the eventful past three years—and have done so with an eye toward what is likely to be a challenging 2025. Our aim as before is to help citizens and stakeholders reclaim good governance, transparency, and the rule of law, and strengthen democratic resilience in the face of dangerous autocrats. Recent events in the United States, South Korea, Romania, France, Germany, Georgia, and elsewhere around the world remind us of the precarious challenge democratic actors face to either preserve or rebuild democracy and freedoms in the year ahead.3 The far-reaching consequences of a decades-long run of global authoritarian resurgence and democratic decay (albeit with fits and starts) make renewing, reenergizing, and advancing liberal democracy all the more necessary.