Democracy Challenged: Who Governs Gaza? Who Runs Venezuela? “Who Does New York Belong To?”

Photograph Source: NYC Mayor’s Office – CC BY 3.0

2025 was an annus horribilis for democracy. Within the United States, Donald Trump, his administration, Congress, complicit state legislatures, and the Supreme Court systematically attacked civil liberties and weakened core democratic institutions. Internationally, there were at least two examples of undemocratic impositions. U.N. Security Council (SC) Resolution 2803 created a so-called “Board of Peace,” chaired by Donald Trump, and a temporary...