Democratic backslide

The world is in the middle of an extreme backslide in democracy, with Human Rights Watch saying that about 72s% of the world now lives under autocratic governments, and that democracy has receded to 1985 levels. That year is important because it is a time when the world was divided mainly by the Cold War, and the US was actively using democracy as an excuse to topple unfriendly dictatorships. Today, however, the US leader regularly expresses admiration for authoritarian figures and other undemocratic leaders — even the ones who don’t sing his praises.

While US President Donald Trump was no darling of democracy in his first term, going so far as to incite an attempt to overturn the result of the 2020 election he lost, his second term has been a horror show, even by the low expectations of his naysayers. His administration has attacked judicial and congressional independence, undermined trust in elections, punished free speech, and used state power to intimidate opponents and the media. This assault on checks and balances has profound global consequences, signaling to dictators everywhere that the rules-based order is no longer defended by its principal architect. Even the prime minister of Canada, a country that used to be a close US ally with an almost symbiotic relationship, has sounded the alarm over Washington’s villainous turn.

Even at a global level, while the US has had a patchy and hypocritical relationship with international law, Trump has explicitly said he doesn’t need it, and regularly undermines it.

And while the world’s democracies seem to have learned the hard way that they can no longer rely on American leadership, every country needs to proceed with caution, as Trump’s recklessness and inconsistency are now destabilising everything he touches.

Democratic leaders around the world must make every effort to protect and strengthen support for accountable, representative governments and the foundational principles of human rights before the lights of democracy dim further.