The State of Democracy: Armenia as a Case Study in Resilience

For the first time in 20 years, autocracies now outnumber democracies worldwide. In 2025, that crisis deepened when the United States ended all overseas democracy funding, raising urgent questions about what democratic backsliding abroad means for Americans, global stability, and the international order.

This talk explores why democracy worldwide still matters deeply to Americans, and how Democracy Journeys advances democratic values and lessons through immersive, on-the-ground experiences that connect participants with the people and movements shaping political futures.

At the center of the discussion is Armenia, a country that captured global attention during its peaceful Velvet Revolution in 2018, when citizens demanded transparency, reform, and an end to entrenched corruption. Today, Armenia stands at a pivotal crossroads. As it works to broker peace with its neighbors and engages in regional initiatives such as the proposed “Trump Route for Peace and Prosperity,” the country faces mounting internal and external pressures ahead of critical parliamentary elections in June 2026.

Using Armenia as a case study, the conversation examines what democratic resilience looks like after revolution, how fragile gains are defended, and what is at stake when democratic progress collides with regional security concerns and shifting global support. Participants are invited to consider democracy not as an abstract ideal, but as a living system shaped by choices, institutions, and moments of consequence.

Speaker: Penelope Norton, Program Officer at Democracy International and Found Member of Democracy Journeys