Democratic political parties are in the midst of a perfect storm of populism, extremism, nationalism and authoritarianism. Corruption, indifference to voters and opaque party organizations have undermined public confidence in political parties, fueling democratic instability and weakening global institutions. Illiberal actors and malign influences from foreign governments like China, Russia and Saudi Arabia are likely to continue escalating their attacks on democracies in the years to come. However, the response to the war in Ukraine and key victories against authoritarian leaders have demonstrated the importance of cross-party collaboration to reinvigorating democracy around the world. Cross-party collaboration that unites political parties across ideological and national boundaries can provide a powerful defense against democratic backsliding. 

Defending Democracy with Political Party Network Collaboration chronicles the launch of NDI's initiative to create an international, cross-party space for party networks to collaborate on issues of common ground. It contains research on the needs and desires of political parties that are considering crossparty collaboration and includes recommendations for political parties, party networks, and party practitioners interested in investing more in cross-party collaboration. The Institute thanks the National Endowment for Democracy for funding this initiative and the party international and political party representatives that supported its launch.