Richard Youngs Journalist Profile

Articles

The New European Commission’s Distorted Democracy Agenda

Oct 8, 2024 | europeanbusinessreview.eu | N. Peter Kramer |Richard Youngs

by Richard Youngs and Elene Panchulidze* With the clear primacy of security issues in the new European Commission’s priorities, the place of democracy support in the EU’s geopolitical toolbox looks increasingly uncertain. The new commissioners’ mission letters are long on the EU interests to be defended and silent on support for democratic norms internationally.
The European Union is Becoming too Obsessed with Defence - The Long Brief

Oct 1, 2024 | longbrief.com | Richard Youngs |European Politics

A new team of 26 leaders has been appointed to the European Commission, reflecting a carefully crafted balance of political ideologies and member states. Each will take on a different portfolio, from democracy to agriculture to innovation. And for the first time, the EU will have a dedicated defence commissioner in the form of Lithuania’s Andrius Kubilius. Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has made it clear that in her second term, the primary focus will be defence and security issues.
EU is becoming too obsessed with defense - Asia Times

Sep 26, 2024 | asiatimes.com | Richard Youngs

A new team of 26 leaders has been appointed to the European Commission, reflecting a carefully crafted balance of political ideologies and member states. Each will take on a different portfolio, from democracy to agriculture to innovation. And for the first time, the EU will have a dedicated defense commissioner in the form of Lithuania’s Andrius Kubilius. Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has made it clear that in her second term, the primary focus will be defense and security issues.
OPINION: European Union is becoming too obsessed with defense

Sep 25, 2024 | ajupress.com | Richard Youngs |Aju Press

SEOUL, September 26 (AJP) - A new team of 26 leaders has been appointed to the European Commission, reflecting a carefully crafted balance of political ideologies and member states. Each will take on a different portfolio, from democracy to agriculture to innovation. And for the first time, the EU will have a dedicated defense commissioner in the form of Lithuania's Andrius Kubilius.
The European Union is becoming too obsessed with defence

Sep 25, 2024 | tolerance.ca | Richard Youngs |European Politics

By Richard Youngs, Professor of International and European Politics, University of Warwick A new team of 26 leaders has been appointed to the European Commission, reflecting a carefully crafted balance of political ideologies and member states. Each will take on a different portfolio, from democracy to agriculture to innovation.
The EU pushes back a new democracy plan: a mistake?

Sep 23, 2024 | europeandemocracyhub.epd.eu | Elena Pacheco Ventura |Richard Youngs |Yuki Dionis

The European Union (EU)’s democracy support abroad is currently implemented under the rubric of the 2020-2024 Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy. Although this Action Plan introduces several important innovations, it falls short in offering robust implementation guidance, as it lacks clear indicators for measuring progress. Moreover, it has struggled to adapt to the significant challenges to democracy that have emerged since 2020.
Democratic Crossroads: Transformations in Twenty First-Century Politics

Sep 3, 2024 | carnegieendowment.org | Richard Youngs

After more than a decade of democratic regression, three major crises have acted to reshape global politics in recent years: climate change, the Covid-19 pandemic and its economic legacy, and geopolitical conflict. In Democratic Crossroads, Richard Youngs argues these crises are altering the balance between democratic and authoritarian dynamics around the world. While they add to the strains on democracy, they are also awakening a momentum of democratic resilience and renewal.
Democratic Crossroads: Transformations in Twenty First-Century Politics

Aug 28, 2024 | carnegieendowment.org | Richard Youngs

In his new book, Senior Fellow Richard Youngs delves into how global crises—from the climate crisis, the post-neoliberal economic shift, to rising geopolitical tensions—are reshaping democracies worldwide. While today's multi-crisis era fuels authoritarianism in some regions, others find new paths to democratic renewal.
Europe’s Democracy Catch-22: Is There a Way Out?

Jul 16, 2024 | carnegieendowment.org | Richard Youngs

The dominant, epoch-making European storyline is now clear: the rise of the far right threatens the EU’s future and democracy. This standard view is expressed in countless opinion pieces and political speeches and is now reshaping both national and EU-level politics.
Is Democracy Surviving the “Year of Elections”?

Jun 13, 2024 | journalofdemocracy.org | Richard Youngs

Millions of voters are casting ballots in a string of elections across the globe this year. At the midyear point, how well is democracy holding up? “The picture is uneven,” writes John Glenn in a new Journal of Democracy online exclusive. Yet one thing is clear. Amid rising polarization and information manipulation, a key challenge ahead will be to strengthen trust in democratic institutions.