Global Scans · Democracy · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: Society is expressing its discontent with current democratic processes that leave the elites struggling to convince their voters of their good intentions and competencies. Read on to see how democracy is offering both great opportunities and risks while this period of volatility shakes out.

• [New] Before America, proponents of democracy generally solved the problem of selfishness by suggesting that citizens could rise above their own interests to join in achieving some larger good that they would recognize through reasoning together. AMERICAN HERITAGE
• [New] Redistricting is set to continue beyond 2026, as Georgia, New York, Mississippi, and Maryland are expected to redraw their congressional districts ahead of the 2028 presidential election, with other states likely following suit. Acled
• [New] With the far-right AfD becoming stronger, the next federal election, expected in 2029, is increasingly viewed as pivotal for Germany's defence trajectory. International Centre for Defence and Security
• [New] The now-upended court battle about Mississippi's judicial elections will serve as an early test of whether voting rights plaintiffs can still mount a convincing case in some circumstances. The Marshall Project
• [New] Ethiopia will hold a general election. Everything Briefing
• [New] Erdogan assumes that as long as Turkey accommodates the White House's strategic imperatives and the financial demands of international markets, it will be insulated from international blowback regarding its democratic backsliding. Turkish Minute
• [New] Given the weakness of many social democratic parties in Europe, there is a unique opportunity for Green parties to broaden their appeal: it might even provide them with a route to become the dominant left-of-centre force. The Guardian
• [New] Scotland - the SNP won a fifth successive election but do not have a majority, so there may be some changes in policy as they will rely on other parties' support to pass legislation. Strutt & Parker - Rural Hub
• [New] The loan, which remains conditional on continued democratic and anti-corruption reforms, will fund a significant portion of Ukraine's military and financial requirements over the next two years as it fights Russia's brutal invasion. The Conversation
• [New] Stronger economic growth should attract more capital to the U.S. in that time frame, while the French presidential election next spring could increase concerns around political risk in Europe, weighing on the euro. Morgan Stanley
• [New] International partners - including the European Union and NATO - will likely continue to provide guidance and incentives, helping to anchor Romania in democratic principles and economic stability. BTI 2026
• [New] The move, which will require new legislation and a vote in parliament, marks the latest policy U-turn for Germany, which has for decades pursued a policy of simultaneously phasing out nuclear power, coal and-soon-gas in a bid to transition Europe's biggest economy to renewable energy. The Council of Industry
• [New] Missing out on another election in 2026 will bring Tigray's total absence from the political arena in Addis Ababa to a full decade. Deutsche Welle
• [New] European Union: The European Union raised concerns over the rule of law, judicial independence and democratic pluralism in Turkey, an EU membership candidate, stating that opposition parties must be able to operate freely without fear of repression. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
• [New] Educating for American democracy will mean grappling with three challenges. Stanford Social Innovation Review
• [New] The analysis by the Washington think tank factors in the Republican Trump administration's historic $1.5 trillion defence budget proposal for 2027, which significantly accelerates spending on high-end munitions that began under the Democratic Biden administration. wdio.com
• [New] The sheer volume of synthetic content creates a shadow economy of election interference, making Deepfake Security Risks in 2026 a primary concern for international election watchdogs. Shelby Global
• [New] Artificial intelligence policy will be the most important issue in the 2028 U.S. presidential election. Council on Foreign Relations
• [New] Fake news in 2026 is not an inconvenience - it's a $78 billion economic drain, a democratic destabilizer ranked as the world's top short-term risk by the WEF for two consecutive years, and a public health and financial hazard growing at exponential rates. Azeroth Inc.
• [New] Countries including Nigeria, Angola, Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda sit in the highest-risk zones. TravelBug Health
• [New] A bill that could require game publishers to offer a way to access online games after they are no longer actively supported is making its way to a floor vote in the California State Assembly, the first step on its way to becoming law, Ars Technica reports. Engadget
• Combined with INEC's vote-buying arrests and CSO warnings about dangerous political rhetoric, the information landscape ahead of 2027 is being weaponised. / Nigeria NaijaNewsFeeds
• Only fair and transparent elections, an independent judiciary, and a free press-genuine democracy - could extricate Russia from the scourge of corruption. The New York Review of Books

Last updated: 14 June 2026