![]() There has been backlash toward the authoritarian growth we’ve seen during the pandemic. The health crisis has been used as an excuse to further undemocratic policies in a huge range of countries across the world-mostly in middling democracies, authoritarian states, and in democracies that might have traditionally been stronger, but are governed by leaders with authoritarian tendencies. That is what we’ve seen over and over with COVID. However, when societies encounter these kinds of existential threats, whether it’s health-related or a security issue, like terrorism, there’s more leeway for undemocratic leaders to take advantage of the situation and push through their own agendas. What new challenges has the Covid-19 pandemic represented for democracy and human rights? What will the state of democracy in the world look like post-Covid?ĬOVID-19 is a genuine threat, and it’s something that people have valid reasons for fearing. ![]() Heads of states need to do a better job of speaking for all people in country. Those in power cannot lead and represent an elite or stand only for the people who elected them. So, can it be reversed? Absolutely-but we need to start seeing real results on the ground as well as improvements in people’s lives. We’re losing faith in democracy, but also forgetting that a less democratic system would actually be worse. I think we’ve also seen failure of democratic leaders to be inspiring, and to help people understand how democracy is serving them. I think this sentiment is the result of a very real phenomenon that has been, in part, driven by globalization, which has benefited certain segments of the global population, failed to benefit others, while outright disadvantaging some, and worsening the lives of many others. There is a feeling among people across many different countries that democracy is no longer delivering. For most people, those are personal security and economic prosperity. Many segments of the population no longer believe that democracy can deliver on their everyday concerns. ![]() The major driver in the Western world, among established democracies, is a loss of faith among the populations of these countries in the democratic process. What are some of the forces driving democratic recession in the Western world and can this pattern be reversed? Also consider the deepening authoritarianism of countries like Venezuela and Myanmar. ![]() have given up on a lot of those values that are central to democracy. There are many examples of the democratic recession-for instance, the decline of the democratic development in Central and Eastern Europe, especially Hungary and Poland, which were very distinctly strong democracies. We’ve observed how China is systematically attempting to undermine belief in democracy, all around the world. presents an inherent threat to the democratic values of major democracies. The most prominent of these is probably the rise of China as a major global power-an authoritarian state, that inherently presents an alternative model to countries that are at a crossroads, regarding their future trajectories. There are qualitative things happening on the ground that are indicative of the decline that is in progress. And that belief doesn’t stem solely from that fact that scores we put out in Freedom in the World every year show a numerical decline. Having said that, I do believe that democratic recession is a very real phenomenon. We were all optimistic-likely overly optimistic after the end of the Cold War. ![]() Some academics have asserted that democratic recession is a myth, and that perceptions of democratic recession originate in excessive post-Cold War optimism. ![]()
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