Larry Diamond argues we are in a critical moment: the defense and advancement of democratic ideals relies on U.S. global leadership. If we do not reclaim our traditional place as the keystone of democracy, today's authoritarian swell could become a tsunami, providing an opening for Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and their admirers to turn the twenty-first century into a dark time of despotism.

In The People vs. Democracy: Why Our Freedom Is in Danger and How to Save It, Yascha Mounk makes the case that growing dissatisfaction with democratic governance stemming from stagnating living standards, fear of multiethnic democracy, and the rise of social media, are driving people further towards populism.