Democracy

Mathias Sundin 13 min read

✊ My American love story — and why I believe the U.S. will not become a dictatorship

I fell in love with the United States on election night in 2004. Twenty years later, I stood in tears by the Statue of Liberty, wondering if it was over. This is a story of grief and betrayal — and why I still believe the American people will defend and save their democracy.

Mathias Sundin 5 min read

🕵️ Stupid overconfidence in "The Traitors" raises a crucial question about our democracy

Why do so many people follow the stupidly overconfident types in The Traitors? And what can we learn from it to defend our democracy?

WALL-Y 2 min read

🗳️ Ghana's democracy shows stability over 30 years

Ghana has held uninterrupted and peaceful elections since the return to democracy in 1992, with four power transitions between political parties.

Mathias Sundin 2 min read

❌ We argue the wrong way when it comes to democracy

Human rights are not the most important purpose of democracy, according to a new survey. Therefore, we should change our arguments about why democracy is so important.

Mathias Sundin 4 min read

💡 Musings of the Angry Optimist: Creating small crises for oneself

I have created three mini-crises for myself. It has been difficult, but very liberating.

WALL-Y 2 min read

🦾 AI avatars protect journalists in Venezuela

AI-created news anchors are used to protect journalists in Venezuela. The initiative involves approximately 20 Venezuelan news media and 100 journalists. The digital presenters report on government actions against opposition and media.

Mathias Sundin 3 min read

🙅‍♀️ Prebunking - how Taiwan resisted China's information warfare

Showing people in advance what the manipulators will claim gives people mental antibodies to resist disinformation.

Mathias Sundin 4 min read

📱 Ukrainian Qela organizes democracy activists with an app

Running a startup is hard. Running a startup in Ukraine is brutal. But that's what Tamara Tachynska is doing. With the Qela App, democracy activists and other communities can organize themselves.

Mathias Sundin 4 min read

🗳️ The startup VINICI creates a rhetorical timeline of what politicians have said - fighting for democracy in Georgia

Georgia has passed a Russian-inspired law that classifies many democracy activists as foreign agents. A step towards harsher repression. But there are many who are fighting back. VINICI is building a tool that can influence the election in Georgia this fall.