In this episode of The Civic Forum, Rory leads a conversation with four leading scholars of democratic erosion — Steven Levitsky (Harvard), Adam Przeworski (NYU), Susan Stokes (UChicago), and Daniel Ziblatt (Harvard) — on the current state of American democracy. They discuss the impact of recent politics, the prospects for effective opposition, and potential paths to democratic resilience and renewal.

In this week’s episode of The Civic Forum, Rory Truex is joined by Kevin Arceneaux, professor at Sciences Po and leading expert on political psychology, to explore how Americans really think about democracy, authoritarianism, and political violence.They discuss:- Why most Americans support democracy in the abstract, but may condone bad behavior when their side benefits.- The rise of the “need for chaos”- How Americans view political violence and how escalation can be stopped- What citizens and leaders can do to reduce polarization and defend democracy.

Is American democracy in crisis? In this week’s episode of The Civic Forum, Rory Truex is joined by Dartmouth professors John Carey and Brendan Nyhan, co-founders of Bright Line Watch, the project tracking democratic backsliding in America.They discuss:

• Why expert ratings of U.S. democracy have dropped to historic lows.
• Why the U.S. may now resemble countries like Brazil or Hungary more than Canada or the U.K.
• The failure of Congress and political elites to check presidential power.
• Whether Democrats should “fight fire with fire” or risk deepening the spiral.
• What ordinary citizens can do to push back against authoritarianism.
  

In this week’s session of The Civic Forum, Rory Truex is joined by Amanda Litman, co-founder of Run for Something. Amanda explains why America’s political system is dominated by older leaders, and how young people can step up.We discuss:

• Why the U.S. is a gerontocracy, and how it affects democracy.
• The underrepresentation of Millennials, Gen Z, women, and working-class people in Congress.
• The structural barriers that keep young and diverse candidates from running.
• How Run for Something recruits and supports first-time candidates across the country.
• What it means to be authentic as a politician
• Amanda’s vision for political reform — from campaign finance to paying public servants fairly.

In this week’s session of The Civic Forum, Rory is joined by Princeton professor Kim Lane Scheppele, who explains how Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz Party consolidated power in Hungary — and how Donald Trump and his allies are adopting Orbán’s authoritarian playbook in the United States through Project 2025.Key topics:- How Orbán dismantled Hungary’s democracy in just three years.-The direct connections between Orbán’s network and Project 2025 in the U.S.-How Trump is adapting Orbán’s strategies to American institutions.-What Democrats can do to fight back without embracing authoritarianism. Long-term reforms that could help restore U.S. democracy.

In this week's session, Rory is joined by Erica Chenoweth, a professor in the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and one the country's leading experts on social movements and nonviolent resistance. Erica provides opening remarks about what we know about when social movements and nonviolent resistance are effective. They then provide an assessment of the state of the pro-democracy movement in the United States, highlighting the importance of building momentum and the role of small protests. The conversation closes with a discussion of why ideas matter for a social movement, and how the current movement needs to be about more than just "anti-Trump."

In this week's session, Rory Truex is joined by Princeton Professor Mark Beissinger, an expert on Russia and post-communist countries. Mark provides an update on the state of the war in Ukraine, focusing on the political calculations of Putin, Zelenskyy, and Trump. Mark and Rory then discuss the possibility for peace and the relationships between Trump and Putin. The conversation closes with an assessment of the pro-democracy movement in the United States, where Mark draws on his research on social movements.

In this week's session, Rory Truex is joined by Princeton Professor Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor for a short lecture about MAGA, Race, and Black History. Keeanga's opening remarks focus on how race is being constructed differently in the second Trump administration. Keeanga and Rory discuss how Critical Race Theory has been recoded and misrepresented. The conversation closes with strategies to promote cross-racial working class solidarity and thoughts on where the pro-democracy movement can go from here.