Beyond participation trophies: The EU’s credibility crisis in the Western Balkans In the NewsOctober 6, 2025 Beyond participation trophies: The EU’s credibility crisis in the Western Balkans In an op-ed published by Euractiv, Robert Benson argues that the EU cannot credibly preach democracy abroad while tolerating stagnation in its own neighborhood. Oct 6, 2025 Euractiv Robert Benson
A Green Light for Authoritarianism: How the Trump Administration Fuels Global Autocracy ArticleSeptember 19, 2025 A Green Light for Authoritarianism: How the Trump Administration Fuels Global Autocracy When U.S. support retreats, autocrats escalate their attacks, leaving democratic institutions vulnerable. This creates a global environment where authoritarianism can thrive. Sep 19, 2025 Dan Herman, Robert Benson
The Turnberry trap: Trump, Europe and global reordering In the NewsSeptember 3, 2025 The Turnberry trap: Trump, Europe and global reordering In an op-ed published by Politico Europe, Robert Benson argues that President Trump's recent trade deal with the European Union represents an alarming global reordering—one that empowers bullying, sows division, and destabilizes international norms. Sep 3, 2025 Politico Europe Robert Benson
The Trump-Putin Alaska Meeting: Preventing a Surrender Summit ArticleAugust 12, 2025 The Trump-Putin Alaska Meeting: Preventing a Surrender Summit Trump’s planned Alaska meeting with Putin risks becoming a “surrender summit” that pressures Ukraine into abandoning NATO aspirations and accepting imposed neutrality, rewarding Russian aggression. Aug 12, 2025 Robert Benson, Damian Murphy
The Authoritarian Playbook in Action: What Global Cases Tell Us About Trump’s 2025 Military Deployments ArticleAugust 12, 2025 The Authoritarian Playbook in Action: What Global Cases Tell Us About Trump’s 2025 Military Deployments The cases of Canada, South Korea, and Turkey illustrate a dangerous escalatory pattern: When elected leaders rely on the military to resolve domestic challenges, they often accelerate democratic backsliding. Aug 12, 2025 Dan Herman, Robert Benson, Vishal Gogusetti
America’s Window To Stop Russia Is Closing ArticleJuly 31, 2025 America’s Window To Stop Russia Is Closing Trump’s hasty ultimatum and symbolic tariffs will not deter Putin; only rapid weapons deliveries and enforceable energy sanctions can shift the battlefield and force Moscow to meaningfully negotiate, creating the conditions for a Ukraine ceasefire. Jul 31, 2025 Robert Benson
NATO’s 76th Summit Is a Reckoning—Not a Celebration ArticleJune 18, 2025 NATO’s 76th Summit Is a Reckoning—Not a Celebration President Donald Trump’s second term has begun, and the NATO alliance faces its most existential threat yet. Jun 18, 2025 Robert Benson
As Trump Abandons Global Leadership, G7 Must Still Address World’s Pressing Challenges ArticleJune 11, 2025 As Trump Abandons Global Leadership, G7 Must Still Address World’s Pressing Challenges Strong, clear cooperation among the world’s other leading democracies can help maintain momentum on global priorities such as confronting Russian aggression, climate change, trade, and humanitarian assistance. Jun 11, 2025 Allison McManus, Robert Benson, Ryan Mulholland, 1 More Courtney Federico
Democratic backsliding in Europe holds lessons for America In the NewsApril 24, 2025 Democratic backsliding in Europe holds lessons for America In an op-ed for Politico EU, Robert Benson discusses how America can more effectively push back against authoritarian creep by learning from the experiences of European countries. Apr 24, 2025 Politico EU Robert Benson
100 Days of the Trump Administration’s Foreign Policy: Global Chaos, American Weakness, and Human Suffering ReportApril 24, 2025 100 Days of the Trump Administration’s Foreign Policy: Global Chaos, American Weakness, and Human Suffering In only 100 days, the Trump administration has wrought chaos around the world and weakened the United States’ place in it—leaving the American people and billions of others worldwide to pay the price. Apr 24, 2025 Allison McManus, Ryan Mulholland, Andrew Miller, 3 More Dan Herman, Robert Benson, Courtney Federico
Trade, Trust, and Transition: Shaping the Next Transatlantic Chapter ReportApril 22, 2025 Trade, Trust, and Transition: Shaping the Next Transatlantic Chapter The Center for American Progress and the Foundation for European Progressive Studies offer essays on the most pressing transatlantic issues. Apr 22, 2025 Allison McManus, Robert Benson
How State Capture and Corruption Harms Citizens: Lessons From Abroad ArticleApril 15, 2025 How State Capture and Corruption Harms Citizens: Lessons From Abroad Examples from abroad serve as prescient warnings that corruption and state capture erode services, impoverish societies, and compromise public safety. Apr 15, 2025 Robert Benson
How Democracies Defend Themselves Against Authoritarianism ReportApril 9, 2025 How Democracies Defend Themselves Against Authoritarianism Democracies facing authoritarian threats from within have found ways to push back by strengthening institutions, reinforcing democratic norms, and building popular resistance against encroaching autocracy. Understanding these strategies is vital to learning how to fight back. Apr 9, 2025 Robert Benson
The Destroyers Are Here: The Rise of the New Authoritarians In the NewsMarch 19, 2025 The Destroyers Are Here: The Rise of the New Authoritarians Robert Benson writes in Inkstick about how President Trump is setting the international stage for a new age of authoritarianism. Mar 19, 2025 Inkstick Robert Benson
Trump and Vance’s Disgraceful Oval Office Ambush of Zelenskyy Comes at America’s Expense and Only Benefits Putin ArticleMarch 3, 2025 Trump and Vance’s Disgraceful Oval Office Ambush of Zelenskyy Comes at America’s Expense and Only Benefits Putin Trump and Vance’s deliberate humiliation of Zelenskyy in Washington signaled to allies and adversaries alike that America’s leadership is in crisis, jeopardizing Ukraine’s fight for survival and emboldening Putin’s aggression. Mar 3, 2025 Allison McManus, Robert Benson
Ukraine’s Path Forward: Negotiating Peace Amid Competing Futures ArticleJanuary 28, 2025 Ukraine’s Path Forward: Negotiating Peace Amid Competing Futures Ukraine’s future hinges on critical U.S. support—at stake: a German-style peace or a Georgian-style nightmare. Jan 28, 2025 Robert Benson
A Bellwether for Trans-Atlantic Democracy: The Rise of the German Far Right ArticleOctober 30, 2024 A Bellwether for Trans-Atlantic Democracy: The Rise of the German Far Right With its anti-immigrant rhetoric, skepticism of NATO, and alignment with authoritarian regimes, the AfD’s rise could destabilize both German democracy and the trans-Atlantic security order. Oct 30, 2024 Robert Benson
The Dangers of Project 2025: Global Lessons in Authoritarianism ArticleOctober 9, 2024 The Dangers of Project 2025: Global Lessons in Authoritarianism Far-right policies such as the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 threaten American democracy by mirroring authoritarian tactics seen in Hungary, Turkey, and beyond. Oct 9, 2024 Allison McManus, Robert Benson, Robert Benson, 1 More Dan Herman
Shaping NATO’s Future: 5 Key Priorities for Washington to Build on After the 75th NATO Summit ArticleJuly 11, 2024 Shaping NATO’s Future: 5 Key Priorities for Washington to Build on After the 75th NATO Summit To maximize the impact of the 75th NATO Summit in Washington, D.C., NATO must build on summit outcomes and set a future course for the alliance. Jul 11, 2024 Robert Benson
EU Elections: What the Results Mean and Why They Matter ArticleJune 13, 2024 EU Elections: What the Results Mean and Why They Matter While pro-European and democratic forces hold the majority in the EU parliament elections, far-right gains portend trouble ahead. Jun 13, 2024 Johan Hassel, Robert Benson
5 Priorities for the 50th G7 Summit ArticleJune 10, 2024 5 Priorities for the 50th G7 Summit The G7 summit in Apulia, Italy presents a chance for the world's major democracies to collectively tackle immediate challenges, while forging a path toward a more resilient and inclusive future. Jun 10, 2024 Allison McManus, Robert Benson, Courtney Federico, 1 More Laura Kilbury
Amid 2024 Global Elections, Mexico’s Is Most Important for the United States ArticleJune 4, 2024 Amid 2024 Global Elections, Mexico’s Is Most Important for the United States While the defense of democracy in the United States remains the existential task at hand for Americans, we must also help our southern neighbor stand up for democracy to ensure the vibrancy, peace, and prosperity of North America. Jun 4, 2024 Joel Martinez, Robert Benson, Dan Restrepo
In Defense of NATO: Why the Trans-Atlantic Alliance Matters ArticleMarch 26, 2024 In Defense of NATO: Why the Trans-Atlantic Alliance Matters As NATO approaches its 75th anniversary, the Center for American Progress reflects on the enormity of its successes and the challenges the alliance faces in the years ahead. Mar 26, 2024 Robert Benson
Standing With Ukraine: The Urgent Call for Continued U.S. Support VideoFebruary 24, 2024 Standing With Ukraine: The Urgent Call for Continued U.S. Support Two years into the Ukraine war, the United States faces a critical juncture: Will Congress rise to the occasion and bolster security assistance to support Ukraine’s fight for sovereignty and democracy? Feb 24, 2024 Robert Benson, Sam Hananel, Allison McManus, 3 More Hai-Lam Phan, Toni Pandolfo, Kayla-Ajanae Archer-Buckley