Welcome to Democracy’s Sisyphus

“The Destiny of Peoples who want to live free is that of Sisyphus . . . One shouldn’t lament the sweat that one spills on this labor”[i] This quotation was written in 1915 by a Brazilian journalist named Júlio de Mesquita. Mesquita was the editor and eventual owner of a still prominent Brazilian newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo or Estadão for short. Becoming an editor in 1885, Mesquita lived through some of Brazil’s most turbulent political times. Throughout his life, Mesquita remained committed to the principles of liberalism and democracy, as did his newspaper, even after he died. Most famously, the Estadão resisted the censorship of Brazil’s military dictatorship (1964–1985) by publishing blank pages to expose government censorship. Mesquita could not have picked a better analogy then that of Sisyphus, the Greek king cursed by Zeus to roll a ball up a hill for eternity. Mesquita knew that the work of democracy is never done, and that no democracy is impervious to reversal or collapse. Nations who will not do the work to sustain and improve democracy will inevitably lose it.

Democracy’s Sisyphus (DS) is a publication that utilizes historical comparisons and academic expertise to produce high quality political analysis that rises above the passions of the moment and brings you a more complete picture. Join us as DS follows the unfolding of political and democratic processes around the world. By subscribing to DS, you gain access to experts in their field bringing you independent reporting and analyses of the events that shape the world around you. Thank you for reading and welcome to Democracy’s Sisyphus!

[i] The translation of Mesquita’s quote can be found in James Woodard, A Place in Politics: São Paulo, Brazil, from Seigneurial Republicanism to Regionalist Revolt (Durham: Duke University Press, 2009).