Democracy at a crossroads
There is no question that the global balance between democracy and autocracy is shifting. The overlapping crises of climate change, Covid-19, and geopolitical turbulence are turbo charging the dynamics that lead to democratic backsliding, while also opening windows of transformative opportunity. But the established discourse of democracy’s decline has become too narrow and one-dimensional to capture this dynamic. It overlooks the more positive strands of democratic renewal that are emerging.
These sweeping shifts are driving both up and down movements in the location of power and sites of political activity, with democracy facing powerful new threats from outside and from within. The 2009 global economic downturn, military conflicts, disinformation campaigns, great power politics and the rise of authoritarianism all pose serious challenges to democracy. Internally, partisan competition, social media platforms, diversity, weak education and income inequality have created significant strains on democracies.
The most pressing challenge from within is posed by President Trump and his administration, which has attacked the constitutional, legal and normative foundations of American democracy, and systematically degraded the institutions of our federal government. The pardoning and commutation of all the “insurrectionists” and other criminals who were set free on January 2021 (many of whom were known to be violent domestic terrorists) is an especially dangerous sign for our democracy’s future.
The most important line of defense is in civil society, the independent policy organizations, religious and other cultural institutions, media and universities that support liberal democracy and serve as a counterweight against state abuse and illegitimate power. Yet, even in wealthy capitalist countries, the density and vigor of this capacity have been reduced by an increase in state surveillance and a retreat from public funding of independent groups.