Is democracy in a tailspin?
In the post-9/11 world, democracy is facing a tough challenge from rising authoritarianism and populist upheaval. It appears the world is back at the doorstep of the post-World War I period. The world has been facing numerous threats from rising terrorism, instability in the Middle East, the north-south gap, and the rise of authoritarian regimes around the globe. A few years after 9/11, states were breaking the shackles of authoritarian regimes, but a decade later, the world is again witnessing the looming shadow of far-right rights in prominent states around the globe.
On February 20, 2024, Economist Intelligence (EIU) posted an article on “Democracy Index 2024.” It shed light on rising global conflicts that have given green signals to new far-right waves in key states. After the COVID-19 pandemic, democracy lost its momentum in India, the USA, Argentina, Pakistan, Indonesia, etc. According to the EIU report, only 32 countries improved their index score in 2023, while 67 countries stayed the same, creating a perfect recipe for a right-wing wave with support of terrorism from the Islamic state, the Russia-Ukraine war, the economic recession, and tensions in key regions. In 2023, the world observed regression in the democracy index as many “non-democracies” became “authoritarian” and many states classified as “hybrid regimes” struggled to make their appearance in the democracy classification.
As of 2024, more than 50 countries around the world have elections coming up. In the Western Hemisphere, the USA, once called the “beacon of democracy,” is likely to be swallowed by far-right elements of the GOP, notably Donald Trump. Donald Trump has been accused of pressuring the director of the FBI, David Comrey, as a political tool. Donald Trump has also been at the forefront of anti-state actions against the US government for intimidating them by force of “people.” The most notorious action was the “Capitol State Building Attack” in January 2021. One of the biggest reasons ordinary citizens fell prey to authoritarian regimes was because they’d mastered the art of bringing up nationalism and fooling people. For example, in Indonesia, former military general and part of Suharto’s brutal dictatorial regime, Prabowo Subianto, aka “cuddly grandpa,” won the presidential elections in 2024. As a former defense minister and military general, he has been accused of several human rights abuses and forced abductions to strengthen the grip of Suharto in Indonesia. He won elections through the popular “tiktok” platform and slick cartoon characters to represent him in his campaign. As of the 21st century, social media is emerging as a vital tool for populist leaders. Just as in the past, the Roman Empire did so by building the Colosseum and keeping people away from political challenges in their country. People don’t see their democracy being stolen from them, but as soon as they do, it’s too late. Just as critic of the Roman Empire Juvenal once said, “Give them bread and circus, they will never revolt.”In 2024, the tables have turned; US citizens are tired of Democrats in power and weak leadership being projected by Joe Biden. The popularity of Joe has dropped to the lowest in seven decades of US history. As the Russia-Ukraine war has reached its zenith and there have been extreme tensions in the Middle East, US citizens are seeing Donald Trump as a “Trump card” to re-establish peace. Trump has openly stated to introduce radical changes in his future foreign policy of becoming a neutral state, just as of Monroe Doctrine 1823, on the issue of the of the Russia-Ukraine war and vowing not to keep NATO members in the alliance who don’t pay their fair share to the alliance will be “kicked out.” This has caused uproar in European member states, and most notably, France, an important and influential NATO member state, has condemned this act.NATO is a military alliance of Europe and northern America to enhance security cooperation and enhance the US’s military presence in the region. As NATO’s first Secretary General, Lord Ismay, once said, “NATO is to keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down.”.The doubts over the credibility of the NATO defense against a perspective of Soviet invasion doubts led to the development of an independent French nuclear deterrent and the withdrawal of the French from NATO’s military structure in 1966. A question here arises:
“What will be the reaction of European states if Donald Trump keeps a blind eye on the rising threat coming from Russia once in power, and how would European nations react to this?”
.As of 2024, France and Germany have taken a forward step and have mulled to consider making a “European military alliance,” as many European states like Poland are afraid of Russia knocking at their doorstep. In the past 2 years, Europe has beefed up its defense spending, and with the US not paying attention, the world is again at the doorstep of the interwar period. With far-reaching rights in Italy and central Europe, there is a great chance that the alliance may have to soon see another catastrophic event.
The Sahel region of Africa has also witnessed military regimes performing coups d’état. Since 2020, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Guinea, Sudan, and Chad. Most dictators came to power with the popular narrative of “rejecting the slavery of Europe” and “complete eradication of terrorism.” The Sahel region has been facing many economic and terrorism challenges, which have jeopardized Sahel as an unstable region. Asia is becoming a “hotbed” of authoritarianism. With elections in full swing, many Asian states have witnessed the jailing of political candidates, influencing independent civil institutions, violations of human rights, locking up journalists, and open meddling in elections.
As of 2024, India has found itself on the crossroads of rising authoritarianism as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a political wing of the RSS (Rashtriya Sweyamsevak Sangh), is set to form its government in the Lok Sabha elections of 2024 for the third time in a row. The BJP has been accused of influencing and pressurizing the Election Commission of India. Under Modi’s regime, two election commissioners have resigned. Arun Goel, Election Commissioner of India, resigned just a few months before the elections. Arun Goel was allegedly being harassed by the Center through notices from the income tax department and was spied on by the notorious Israeli software “Pegasus.” But the final nail in the coffin took place when CM of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal got arrested weeks before the elections and sent the world’s biggest democracy into the den of authoritarianism.
Bangladesh has also fallen victim to authoritarianism, as Sheikh Hasina has made his way to serving Bangladesh as the 10th PM. Bangladesh went into elections in early 2024, and Sheikh Hasina won it unopposed, as the opposition boycotted elections on the matters of jailing politicians, filing bogus and politically motivated cases against them, and locking up journalists, including Nobel laureate in economics Mohammed Yunus, aka “banker to the poor.”
In conclusion, democracy is facing many hurdles in the post-9/11 world from authoritarian regimes. The world has again found itself in the inter-World War II period, when radical rights were at the doorstep of governments around the world combined with the looming threat of war, just as in the contemporary period. Through public discourse, opposition parties and highlighting propaganda on social media can significantly reduce the chances of getting influenced by far-right populist factions.