Dhaka, May 15 -- We live in an age of political contradiction.

More countries than ever claim the mantle of democracy. States once notorious for military coups now hold elections, maintain constitutions, and preserve parliaments. Sending generals back to the barracks has become the norm rather than the exception.

And yet, in many democracies, elections no longer fully determine who governs. Increasingly, outcomes are shaped long before a single ballot is cast.

Democracies today rarely collapse overnight beneath the rumble of tanks or through military takeovers. They erode gradually-through legal manipulation, institutional capture, voter suppression, information warfare, and the slow hollowing-out of public trust. Political scientists ...