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How women leaders are standing up to powerful autocrats

Moldova's President Maia Sandu pauses as she speaks to the media during a conference at the Presidential Palace in Chisinau, Moldova, Wednesday, June 15, 2022. (Yoan Valat/Pool via AP)
Yoan Valat/Pool via AP
Moldova's President Maia Sandu pauses as she speaks to the media during a conference at the Presidential Palace in Chisinau, Moldova, Wednesday, June 15, 2022. (Yoan Valat/Pool via AP)

A new generation of women leading smaller, younger democracies, such as Estonia, Moldova and Taiwan, is standing up to the world’s most powerful autocrats in Russia and China.

Meanwhile, the United States is falling behind, says Linda Robinson, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of the book, “Women in Power: Fighting for Democracy in an Age of Authoritarianism.”

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2026 WBUR