Investing in Our Common Democratic Future
About the Program
As a core initiative of the most powerful voice in Washington on transatlantic affairs, the Center for European Policy Analysis Democratic Resilience program aims to support policymakers – in government, civil society, business, and the media, in North America and in Europe – in achieving three vital aims:
- Countering authoritarian threats to democracy.
- Responding to democratic backsliding.
- Bolstering established democracies.
To help transatlantic policymakers succeed in the goals of countering authoritarian threats, responding to democratic backsliding and bolstering established democracies, the Democratic Resilience program brings to bear cutting-edge research and actionable, evidence-based analysis on the causes and effects of democratic breakdown and resilience.
- Countering authoritarian threats to democracy. Resurgent autocratic regimes in Russia, China, and elsewhere seek to bolster their political dominance at home and project their power abroad by subverting democratic institutions and undermining faith in democratic practice. To mitigate these threats, policymakers will need effective strategies for strengthening institutional resilience, supporting independent civic and journalistic voices, responding to rising digital authoritarianism, and supporting democratic openings in authoritarian states themselves.
- Responding to democratic backsliding. Societies across Europe and elsewhere are struggling to defend the hard-won achievements of post-communist democratization and liberalization against expanding authoritarian influence and anti-democratic interests at home. Reversing this dynamic will require pro-democracy forces in governments, civil societies, and media throughout the transatlantic space to find common cause in restoring commitment to representative, accountable, and transparent government.
- Bolstering established democracies. The US and many of its allies are facing growing challenges to the functioning of core institutions of democratic governance. These challenges can be neither assumed away, nor seen off in isolation. To ensure the resilience of the democratic model globally, transatlantic leaders and societies will need to take a hard look at their own vulnerabilities and to learn lessons from those on the front lines of the struggle for democracy.
Latest Analysis
Read the latest analysis from the Democratic Resilience team
Food for Thought
The private sector seems key to helping Ukraine rebuild its war-ravaged agricultural sector.
Questions of Trust Threaten Baltic Resilience
Setbacks to public trust in government are eroding the resilience of Baltic societies at a time when they need to be strong.
Success Eludes the Kremlin’s Chosen Children
Appointing your friends’ kids to senior jobs is not the way to find crowd-pleasing digital services, as Vladimir Putin is discovering.
Featured Content
Dreams Amid the Rubble — Rebuilding Ukraine’s Schools
The towns near Kyiv which bore the brunt of Russia’s war of aggression are starting to work on reconstruction.
Read Now
Featured Reports
A European Home for Ukraine: Perspectives on the EU’s Enlargement Challenge from Berlin, Paris, and Warsaw
Top European Energy Security Priorities for the Second Half of 2023
Who is to Judge Mr. Putin?
The Road to Chişinău: The European Political Community
Reform and Resistance: Georgia’s Path to EU Candidacy
Winning Europe’s Energy War with Russia
Featured Events
From combating authoritarian threats to ensuring free and fair elections, the Democratic Resilience program gathers thought leaders from both sides of the Atlantic to cover the pressing issues of today.
Browse All Events
Event
Russian Cyberwarfare: Unpacking the Kremlin’s Capabilities
September 8, 2022
at 10:00 am to 11:00 am
Event
Post-Mortem: Russian and Chinese COVID-19 Information Operations
June 8, 2022
at 10:00 am to 11:00 am
Event
Culture is a Prime Target in Russia’s War in Ukraine
May 26, 2022
at 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
Event
Debunking Putin’s Victory Myth
May 9, 2022
at 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
Event
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Related Issues
Learn more about the Democratic Resilience's Program's key issues.
Authoritarian Threats
Authoritarianism is a persistent threat to democracy and the transatlantic alliance.
Democracy
Democratic values and principles are the foundation of the transatlantic alliance.