Latest Articles
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From Words to Violence: Countering Extremist Rhetoric in Democratic Societies
This policy brief examines how sophisticated rhetorical strategies—combining overt divisive messaging with coded extremist language—operate across multiple communication levels to legitimise violence and undermine democratic institutions. Drawing on recent research in political psychology, comparative analysis of global democratic backsliding, and evidence from successful counter-messaging initiatives, it proposes a comprehensive framework for protecting democratic discourse. Traditional…
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Democracy Lighthouse Digest #2
The Democracy Lighthouse Digest is a monthly newsletter that provides updates on our group’s work and information about the important worldwide contributions of the many organisations, activists and scholars currently engaged in the defence and reimagining of the past, present, and future of democracy. Read the Democracy Lighthouse below or subscribe to receive it by email.
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Squaring the Circle
The US president’s erratic tariff policy is disrupting global political relations. Long-standing alliances are being called into question, and new, unexpected alliances appear possible. Today’s geopolitical environment is worse than during the past decades. The entanglement of economics calls into question established geopolitical logics. US president Donald Trump’s fixation on tariffs has sparked a trade…
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Casting a Long Shadow: Trump 2.0’s Impact on Aotearoa New Zealand
This report examines the alarm felt in Aotearoa New Zealand during the first seven months of the second Trump administration as an autocratic President has managed to undermine basic democratic values and institutions, show open disdain for multilateral organisations, and do harm to global trade through his tariff policy. These developments challenge New Zealand’s deeply…
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Reluctant Truth-Tellers and Institutional Fragility
In democracies under strain, the most important truths often arrive too late, uttered hesitantly by those who should have spoken earlier. A striking case occurred on 5 July 2025, when Ty Cobb—former White House special counsel—accidentally revealed, in what he thought was a private Facebook comment, that Donald Trump was “worse than anyone in our…
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