# Kenneth Roberts Says the Left Pays a Steep Price for Breaking with Democracy

An episode of [Democracy Paradox](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1519689024), 13 May 2026, 47 min.

Audio: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1174532/episodes/19167693-kenneth-roberts-says-the-left-pays-a-steep-price-for-breaking-with-democracy.mp3

The left pays a very steep price when they break with democratic norms and procedures. Kenneth Roberts Kenneth Roberts is the Richard J. Schwartz Professor of Government at Cornell University. He is the coauthor (with Santiago Anria) of Polarization and Democracy in Latin America: Legacies of the Left Turn. The Democracy Paradox is made in partnership with the Kellogg Institute of the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. Read the full transcript here. Key Highlights • Introduction - 0:20 • The Origins of the Left Turn - 3:21 • Polarization and Its Discontents - 13:18 • The Autocratic Temptation - 21:40 • Populism and the Left's Democratic Reckoning - 37:24 Links Learn more about Kenneth Roberts Read his book Polarization and Democracy in Latin America: Legacies of the Left Turn Learn more about the Kellogg Institute. Register for the 2026 Global Democracy Conference at the University of Notre Dame. Apes of the State created all Music Email comments or questions to jkempf@democracyparadox.com Support the show

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