Republicans Saved Democracy Once. Will They Do It Again? Trump’s Cabinet nominations will be a critical first test signaling whether American democracy will survive his second term.

Republicans Saved Democracy Once. Will They Do It Again?

My new piece in @politico.com with Erica Frantz and Joe Wright

www.politico.com/news/magazin...

Based on research in our new book, "The Origins of Elected Strongmen How Personalist Parties Destroy Democracy from Within"

global.oup.com/academic/pro...

Republicans Saved Democracy Once. Will They Do It Again? Trump’s Cabinet nominations will be a critical first test signaling whether American democracy will survive his second term.

Republicans Saved Democracy Once. Will They Do It Again?

My new piece in @politico.com with Erica Frantz and Joe Wright

www.politico.com/news/magazin...

Check out the book for more!

global.oup.com/academic/pro...

Opinion | Trump 2.0 and the Return of ‘Court Politics’ The political scientist Erica Frantz describes the regime change the second Trump administration represents.

So excited to see my-coauthor Erica Frantz on The Ezra Klein Show speaking on what our book--"The Origins of Elected Strongmen"--tells about about risks to democracy in Trump's second term.

www.nytimes.com/2025/01/10/o...

If Washington downsized its commitment to Europe prematurely, Moscow could take it as a sign of growing U.S. disinterest and use the opportunity to press ahead. The prioritization of U.S. policies is important, but so is the sequencing.

3. The US has to set European security on the right path before it can fully and effectively focus on China. Washington cannot simply hand off European security to a Europe that is not yet capable of managing the Russian threat.

2. Russia will look to pocket concessions for ending the current war to strengthen its hand for the next 1. Just look at events of the past 2 decades: at every turn—Georgia 2008, Ukraine 2014, Syria 2015—Putin has grown more willing to take risks as he sees that doing so pays.

1. The US and Europe must invest in resisting Russia now or pay a far greater cost later. Russia is likely to walk away from the war in Ukraine emboldened and, once it has reconstituted its military capacity, spoiling for another fight to revise the security order in Europe.

Putin’s Point of No Return An unchecked Russia will challenge the West.

1/ Just out with a new piece in Foreign Affairs w/ @michaelkofman.bsky.social: "Putin’s Point of No Return: How an Unchecked Russia Will Challenge the West."

A few points I hope the incoming administration will take onboard:

Paywall free link here: www.foreignaffairs.com/russia/putin...