Review

When the Democratic Recession Comes Home

Michael McFaul wants more democracy promotion. Is now the time? December 5, 2025, 2:45 PM

A woman stands in front of a large wall-mounted red-white-and-blue button that reads "American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith."

Trump’s Second Term

Ongoing reports and analysis

It is a bad time to argue that the United States should do more to promote democracy around the world, and Michael McFaul knows it. “Some will dismiss my worldview and policy recommendations as old-fashioned and out of date,” he acknowledges in his new book, Autocrats vs. Democrats . “I am okay with that.”

McFaul served at the highest levels of the U.S. government, but he is at heart a scholar, educator, and activist. The result is a book that is ambitious, accessible,

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