Michael Abramowitz
President
Michael J. Abramowitz is the president of Freedom House, a non-partisan voice dedicated to supporting democracy. There, he oversees a unique combination of analysis, advocacy, and direct support to frontline defenders of freedom, especially those working in closed authoritarian societies. He previously directed the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Levine Institute for Holocaust Education, prior to which he led the museum’s genocide prevention efforts. He spent the first 24 years of his career at The Washington Post, where he was national editor and then White House correspondent. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and he was formally a Marshall Memorial fellow at the German Marshall Fund and media fellow at the Hoover Institution. A graduate of Harvard College, Michael is also a board member of the National Security Archive, a member of the Human Freedom Advisory Council for the George W. Bush Presidential Center, and a member of the Advisory Council of the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue.
Recent Publications & Interviews
How Authoritarian Regimes Go After Journalists Beyond Their Borders | TIME Magazine — December 6, 2023
What is the Future of Democracy? | Essential Questions with Rabbi Dan Levin — November 29, 2023
Amna Nawaz discusses importance of global free press | PBS — October 20, 2023
Rights and Realities: The Middle East Today | Council on Foreign Relations — September 29, 2023
Biden Takes His Battle for Democracy Case by Case | The New York Times — July 25, 2023
Washington’s Favorite Teams — Now Partly Owned by a Foreign Autocracy | POLITICO — July 14, 2023
Was Baerbock tut, ist die richtige Gratwanderung | Die Welt — May 16, 2023
World Press Freedom Day: Mike Abramowitz, President of Freedom House | VOA — May 5, 2023
The world is less democratic when journalists are less safe | Dallas Morning News — April 15, 2023
All Democracies Have a Stake in Taiwan’s Freedom | RealClearWorld — April 6, 2023
We discuss "Freedom in the World" with Michael Abramowitz, president of Freedom House | WGCU — March 21, 2023
Democracy may be on the march again | The Washington Post — March 9, 2023
Global declines in democracy may be slowing, Freedom House says in a new report | NPR — March 9, 2023
How to Support Iran's Democracy Movement | RealClearWorld — February 3, 2023
Michael Abramowitz on Preserving Democracy | Julie Mason Mornings on SiriusXM — January 9, 2023
- See More Publications & Appearances
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Michael Abramowitz on Preserving Democracy | Julie Mason Mornings on SiriusXM — December 23, 2022
Twitter Users Say Elon Musk Should Quit As CEO | Spectrum News 1 — December 19, 2022
| The New York Times — December 9, 2022
Protests in China Aren't As Rare As You Think | Newsweek — December 2, 2022
Democracies like the U.S. should do more to stand up for freedom | The Dallas Morning News — November 16, 2022
Foreign Affairs with Ed Luce & Michael Abramowitz | Politics War Room with James Carville & Al Hunt — July 14, 2022
It’s Not Just Khashoggi: The Saudi Issue Biden Can’t Ignore | POLITICO — July 13, 2022
Administrator Samantha Power Remarks at the National Press Club: "A Global Revolution of Dignity" | USAID — June 7, 2022
Washington DC’s 500 Most Influential People | Washingtonian — May 3, 2022
„Wir stecken mitten in einer Demokratie-Rezession“ | Berliner Zeitung — April 21, 2022
Decades after the USSR collapsed, Eurasian countries struggle to maintain democracy | NPR — April 20, 2022
Freedom in the Future: Towards a Transatlantic Approach to the Global Threat of Authoritarianism | The American Academy in Berlin — March 30, 2022
From Magnitsky to the Mothers of Mariupol: Congress Must Stand with Victims and Strengthen the Global Magnitsky Act | Human Rights First — March 24, 2022
Opinion: Freedom house chief: An inflection point for democracy | The Washington Post — March 1, 2022
Authoritarianism poses increasing threat to democracy | CBS News — February 28, 2022
The Growing Threat of a World Run by Dictators | Real Clear Politics — February 26, 2022
Putin’s Power Play with Michael Abramowitz | Ronald Reagan Institute — February 22, 2022
Michael Abramowitz on the Global Drive to Control Big Tech | Julie Mason Mornings on SiriusXM — December 30, 2021
100 world leaders will attend Biden's virtual summit on supporting democratic values | NPR — December 8, 2021
Opinion: Biden’s Summit for Democracy shouldn’t be just a photo op | The Washington Post — November 23, 2021
How to help reverse 'democratic decline' | Reliable Sources on CNN — October 10, 2021
After talks with Putin, Biden must act to support democracy and human rights | The Hill — June 18, 2021
China's Olympian Atrocity | Real Clear Politics — February 16, 2021
The long arm of the authoritarian state | The Washington Post — February 3, 2021
Racial Injustice Remains the Great Weakness of American Democracy | The Bulwark — June 4, 2020
Freedom of Movement is a Right, not a Privilege | The American Interest — May, 21 2020
Autocrats love a crisis. They're using the coronavirus pandemic to tighten their grip | The Los Angeles Times — April 13, 2020
American Paralysis Fuels Freedom's Retreat | The Bulwark — March 31, 2020
Can Zimbabwe be the next victory for democracy? | Washington Post — August 2, 2018
Americans still want their government to support democracy abroad | Dallas News — July 13, 2018
How Illiberal Leaders Attack Civil Society | Foreign Affairs — April 6, 2018
We looked at the state of democracy around the world, and the results are grim | The Washington Post — Jan. 17, 2018
Stop the Manipulation of Democracy Online | The New York Times — December 11, 2017
How Trump is undermining press freedom around the world | The Washington Post — May 2, 2017
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By This Expert
Transnational Repression: A Global Threat to Rights and Security
Testimony and remarks
December 7, 2023
Five Years after Khashoggi Murder, Democracies Must Hold Saudi Regime Accountable for Human Rights Abuses
Perspectives
October 2, 2023
