Member-only story
Authoritarianism is on the March Around the World
Fighting the Rising Threats to Democracy
“Eternal Vigilance is the price of democracy.”
~ Thomas Jefferson
Democracy isn’t only endangered in America. The threats to democracy are being seen worldwide. Although we often think of authoritarian governments as places like North Korea, China, and Russia, the actions of Trump in the waning days of his presidency demonstrated how perilously close we are to an authoritarian regime right here in the United States.
The State of Democracy Around the World
Freedom House has found that, since 2006, democracy has been in decline around the world. During that time, 113 countries have seen a decline in democracy, while only 62 have seen improvement. The parameters used by the group to assess levels of democracy include having free and fair elections, rights for minorities, freedom of the press, and the rule of law.
The decline in democracy has emboldened autocrats. Countries such as Russia and China have seen an increase in repression in their societies. They appear to be attempting to export their autocratic ways to other countries through direct influence and using social media to spread their anti-democratic messages and destabilize democratic…
