Democracy Paradox

If you have this model of AI, which is geniuses design machines and those machines or algorithms are going to scoop up all the data and they're going to make better decisions for you. That's fundamentally anti-democratic.Daron AcemogluAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Daron Acemoglu is the Elizabeth and James Killian Professor of Economics at MIT. He is coauthor (with James A. Robinson) of The Narrow Corridor, Why Nations Fail, and The Economic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy. His latest book (with Simon Johnson) is Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle over Technology and Prosperity.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:33Technology and Progress - 2:06Productivity - 14:01Artificial Intelligence - 24:42Shared Prosperity - 34:31Key LinksPower and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle over Technology and Prosperity by Daron Acemoglu and Simon JohnsonWhy Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty by Daron Acemoglu and James A. RobinsonLearn more about Daron AcemogluDemocracy Paradox PodcastJamie Susskind Explains How to Use Republican Ideals to Govern TechnologySamuel Woolley on Bots, Artificial Intelligence, and Digital PropagandaMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

The fact that Ukraine can be a democracy.... presents a threat to the authoritarian regimes in Moscow and Minsk of the sort that NATO would never actually present.Serhii PlokhyAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Serhii Plokhy is a Professor of Ukrainian history at Harvard University and the Director of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute. He’s written many books including The Gates of Europe, Nuclear Folly, and Atoms to Ashes. His most recent book is The Russo-Ukrainian War: The Return of History.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:37Ukrainian Political Identity - 2:39Background on the War - 18:31Causes of the War - 26:22Nuclear Power in a War - 36:06Key LinksThe Russo-Ukrainian War: The Return of History by Serhii PlokhyAtoms and Ashes: A Global History of Nuclear Disasters by Serhii PlokhyLearn more about the Harvard Ukrainian Research InstituteDemocracy Paradox PodcastOlga Onuch and Henry Hale Describe the Zelensky EffectMichael McFaul and Robert Person on Putin, Russia, and the War in UkraineMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

We are at a moment of very, very high risk and I'm not sure that people really know that or understand it, or if they do, if they care.Anne ApplebaumAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Anne Applebaum is a staff writer at The Atlantic and a Pulitzer-prize winning historian. Some of her books include Gulag: A History, Red Famine: Stalin’s War on Ukraine, and most recently Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism. She recently gave the Seymour Martin Lipset Lecture titled "Autocracy, Inc."Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:42What is Autocracy, Inc - 3:47Democratic Response - 13:40Appeal of Authoritarianism - 26:51Thoughts on Poland - 32:26Key LinksWatch Anne Applebaum's Lecture "Autocracy, Inc""The Autocrats are Winning" in The Atlantic by Anne ApplebaumTwilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism by Anne ApplebaumDemocracy Paradox PodcastFrancis Fukuyama Responds to Liberalism’s DiscontentsLarry Diamond on Supporting Democracy in the World and at HomeMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

The thing that really astonishes me is that there's never any agency given to Iraqis, both during the war and the occupation, but also 20 years later. It always goes back to what the Americans did. There's a defeatism about Iraq's ability to do anything on its own and I think that's at the heart of why people can't see anything democratic in the country.Marsin AlshamaryAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Marsin Alshamary is a research fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Middle East Initiative and nonresident fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Center for Middle East Policy. She is the author of the paper "Iraq’s Struggle for Democracy" in the Journal of Democracy.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:41Is Iraq a Democracy - 3:37Iraqi Social Cleavages - 9:20Iraqi Consociationalism - 26:33Challenges to Democracy in Iraq - 36:55Key Links"Iraq’s Struggle for Democracy" in the Journal Democracy by Marsin AlshamaryFollow Marsin Alshamary on Twitter @MarsinRALearn more about Marsin AlshamaryDemocracy Paradox PodcastSteven Simon on American Foreign Policy in the Middle East including Iran and the Wars in IraqLarry Diamond on Supporting Democracy in the World and at HomeMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

The problem in both cases is not Zuckerberg or Musk, but the idea of a Zuckerberg or Musk. The idea that, simply by virtue of owning and controlling a particular technology, someone wields arbitrary or unaccountable power which can touch every aspect of our liberty and our democracy.Jamie SusskindAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Jamie Susskind is an author and barrister. He has held fellowships at Cambridge and Harvard Universities. His work is at the crossroads of technology, politics, and law. His most recent book is The Digital Republic: On Freedom and Democracy in the 21st Century.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:44Challenges of Digital Technology - 3:18Artificial Intelligence - 20:09A Digital Republic - 40:27Possible Solutions - 43:42Key LinksThe Digital Republic: On Freedom and Democracy in the 21st Century by Jamie SusskindFollow Jamie Susskind on Twitter @jamiesusskindLearn more about Jamie SusskindDemocracy Paradox PodcastSamuel Woolley on Bots, Artificial Intelligence, and Digital PropagandaRonald Deibert from Citizen Lab on Cyber Surveillance, Digital Subversion, and Transnational RepressionMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

Who would be a better ally than Ukrainians? These are people who are fighting so bravely and have shown so much resilience. That's what we should want in an ally.James GoldgeierAccess Bonus Episodes on PatreonMake a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.James Goldgeier is a a Professor of International Relations at American University. He is also a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University's Center on International Security and Cooperation and a Visiting Fellow at the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution. Recently, he is the coeditor with Joshua Itzkowitz Shifrinson of a new book called Evaluating NATO Enlargement: From Cold War Victory to the Russia-Ukraine War.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:35Purpose of NATO - 2:37NATO Expansion - 16:00NATO and Democratization - 22:41Future of NATO - 32:42Key LinksEvaluating NATO Enlargement: From Cold War Victory to the Russia-Ukraine War edited by James Goldgeier and Joshua R. Itzkowitz ShifrinsonPower and Purpose: U.S. Policy toward Russia After the Cold War by James Goldgeier and Michael McFaulLearn more about James GoldgeierDemocracy Paradox PodcastRobert Kagan Looks to American History to Explain Foreign Policy TodayMichael McFaul and Robert Person on Putin, Russia, and the War in UkraineMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracySupport the show

The Iraqis suffered so heavily and not just because of the 2003 war. The first war in 1991 inflicted terrible damage on Iraq and then the next 10 years of sanctions immiserated the populace and inflicted an especially punishing blow on Iraqi women and children.Steven SimonBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Steven served on the National Security Council staff from 1994 to 1999 and again fro 2011 to 2012. Earlier he served in the State Department for fifteen years. He is currently a Robert E. Wilhelm Fellow at the MIT Center for International Studies and his most recent book is Grand Delusion: The Rise and Fall of American Ambition in the Middle East.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:43Iran - 4:41JCPOA - 22:58The Iraq Wars - 27:19Saudi Arabia - 32:57Key LinksGrand Delusion: The Rise and Fall of American Ambition in the Middle East by Steven SimonLearn more about Steven Simon"America's Great Satan" By Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon in Foreign AffairsDemocracy Paradox PodcastRobert Kagan Looks to American History to Explain Foreign Policy TodayZoltan Barany on the Ineffectiveness of the Gulf MilitariesMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

Democracy is a much more complicated thing than we often give it credit for and certainly speaking dichotomously about democracy being in crisis or not is an oversimplification.Larry BartelsBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Larry Bartels is the May Werthan Shayne Chair of Public Policy and Social Science at Vanderbilt University and a Co-Director for the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions. His new book is called Democracy Erodes from the Top: Leaders, Citizens, and the Challenge of Populism in Europe.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:34A Crisis of Democracy? 3:02Populism 23:20Political Restraint - 37:49What is Democracy? 44:51Key LinksDemocracy Erodes from the Top: Leaders, Citizens, and the Challenge of Populism in Europe by Larry BartelsDemocracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government by Christopher Achen and Larry BartelsCenter for the Study of Democratic InstitutionsDemocracy Paradox PodcastMartin Wolf on the Crisis of Democratic CapitalismJason Brownlee Believes We Underestimate Democratic ResilienceMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

One of the things that we see happening online is sort of a democratization of propaganda.Samuel WoolleyBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Samuel Woolley is an assistant professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin and the project director for propaganda research at the Center for Media Engagement. His most recent book is Manufacturing Consensus: Understanding Propaganda in the Era of Automation and Anonymity.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:43Background on Technology (including Bots) - 3:00Artificial Intelligence - 10:17Democratization of Propaganda - 20:44The Legitimation of Ideas - 30:48Key LinksManufacturing Consensus: Understanding Propaganda in the Era of Automation and Anonymity by Samuel Woolley"Digital Propaganda: The Power of Influencers" in the Journal of Democracy by Samuel WoolleyCenter for Media EngagementDemocracy Paradox PodcastRichard Wike Asked Citizens in 19 Countries Whether Social Media is Good for DemocracyRonald Deibert from Citizen Lab on Cyber Surveillance, Digital Subversion, and Transnational RepressionMore Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show

It's hard to believe what was happening in Xinjiang and most Chinese people didn't believe, but now they do. A lot of them do.Josh ChinBecome a Patron!Make a one-time Donation to Democracy Paradox.A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com.Josh Chin is the Deputy Bureau Chief for China at the Wall Street Journal and the coauthor with Liza Lin of the book Surveillance State: Inside China's Quest to Launch a New Era of Social Control.Key HighlightsIntroduction - 0:38Describing Xinjiang - 2:38Social Engineering - 11:21Privacy in China - 19:08AI in China - 28:23Key LinksSurveillance State: Inside China's Quest to Launch a New Era of Social Control by Josh Chin and Liza LinRead more from Josh Chin in the Wall Street Journal"The Mandarin in the Machine" A review of Surveillance State in Journal of Democracy by Will DobsonDemocracy Paradox PodcastElizabeth Economy in a Wide Ranging Conversation About ChinaAynne Kokas on the Intersection Between Surveillance Capitalism and Chinese Sharp Power (or How Much Does the CCP Already Know About You?)More Episodes from the PodcastMore InformationDemocracy GroupApes of the State created all MusicEmail the show at jkempf@democracyparadox.comFollow on Twitter @DemParadox, Facebook, Instagram @democracyparadoxpodcast100 Books on DemocracyDemocracy Paradox is part of the Amazon Affiliates Program and earns commissions on items purchased from links to the Amazon website. All links are to recommended books discussed in the podcast or referenced in the blog.Support the show